


Look within yourself for absolution

by trinipedia



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Apocabb, Challenge Response, Community: Apocabigbang, Fanfiction, M/M, Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-03-17
Updated: 2010-03-17
Packaged: 2018-09-15 12:03:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9234254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trinipedia/pseuds/trinipedia
Summary: Utrel Enterprises is working on a controversial secret project. Jared Padalecki works as an intern under assistant researcher Jensen Ackles: they act as they hate each other's guts, even if they're both clearly attracted to one another. Right after work Jared witnesses, unable to stop it, the murder of Jensen. The next morning he realizes that everything is exactly as it was the previous day, and once he gets to work is now Jared's job--being the only person alive who is aware that something's wrong--to stop the murder of Jensen and somehow save the world from the time-loop, or be caught in time forever. Every day, at a minute past midnight, the sci-fi adventure begins... again.





	1. 01

**Author's Note:**

> **Amazingly Amazing Artist (header):** ****[](http://phoenixangel13.livejournal.com/profile)[phoenixangel13](http://phoenixangel13.livejournal.com/) [AWESOME ART MASTERPOST](http://phoenixangel13.livejournal.com/19413.html)
> 
>  **Another Amazingly Amazing Artist (fic enhancing/posters):** ****[](http://laisy.livejournal.com/profile)[laisy](http://laisy.livejournal.com/) [MORE AWESOME ART MASTERPOST](http://laisy.livejournal.com/245391.html)
> 
>  **Disclaimer:** Not mine in any way, shape or form. Based on the movie "12:01", so if there's anything you think you recognize, I probably didn't write it. Title from "Locking up the sun" by the Poets of the Fall. Written for the [](http://apocabigbang.livejournal.com/profile)[apocabigbang](http://apocabigbang.livejournal.com/) challenge.

 

 

The time is 7.35. Please wake up the recorded voice of the robot-alarm says.  
Jared cracks an eye open, then he closes it again.  
The robot keeps chanting, as it beeps, buzzes and moves around the bedside table making a lot of noise, so in the end Jared has no other choice but waking up, no matter how badly he doesn't want to.  
He turns the TV on, as usual, and surprisingly the company and its project made the first page.  
"Big news at Utrel corporation. The cutting edge project by researchers in particle physics is being shut down by Government order."  
Jared is suddenly more awake.  
"As all of you surely remember, six months ago the scientific society was shocked by the Utrel's researchers claiming they've discovered a way to accelerate a subatomic particle faster than the speed of light, using a groundbreaking device called _Superaccelerator_."  
Jared snorts.  
Of course he remembers.  
He remembers the way his professors went ballistic, and so did every single club he was part of back at the faculty; he remembers the sittings, the protests, the letters sent to both the government and the corporation itself.  
In the end the public outcry had been so great that the government ordered to the corporation to let a few opposed people to join the project; the corporation accepted, and that's how Jared, his best friend Chad and a couple more last year Physics students started working at Utrel corporation.  
Of course they've never really being let in on the details, neither did they actually see anything, but they're there, supervising.  
Sorta.  
Apparently, though, it was not really necessary since, as per what the journalist is saying, the government has finally ordered a complete shutdown of the project.  
Eric Kripke, director of research, appears on the screen.  
"This tool will help us to finally define the nature of the universe and harness its energy; imagine a facility this size powering half the state of California, and-"  
Jared huffs and turns the TV off.  
He has heard Kripke's inspirational speeches more than once, during the last six months, and he's already late.  
He lets his dogs out, takes a shower and gets quickly dressed.  
What he hates more of this gig is the monkey suit he has to wear every given day.  
He's a t-shirt/flip-flops kind of guy, dammit!  
As he gulps down the last of his orange juice and sorts out the mail, the phone rings.  
"Mama! Listen, I'm late. How are you? Yeah, I-I know we haven't talk in a while, I've just-been busy."  
Jared throws the newspaper away and moves around the living room to get his jacket, his briefcase, his keys.  
"You want to know the real reason? I can't stand your question on my dating situation."  
He rolls his eyes.  
"Yes, mom, in fact. I am dating. A lot. I can't even keep track of the names. Oh, you want to know _one_ name?"  
He looks frantically around, until his gaze falls on the table were the box of cereals is.  
"Coco. Yeah, she's French. Small and wiry, she loves to move around the kitchen. She's all...crackly and poppy."  
His mother's voice doesn't sound really convinced, but Jared's eyes stop on the clock and he desperately tries to end up the conversation.  
"Mama, I'm really, really late. But-ok, I will call you later. I promise. Goodbye" he concludes, hanging up, as he puts on his jacket one handed.  
With a little bit of luck, he'll get to the office just in time and maybe _he_ won't get to scold him again.

 

  
Of course, as luck will have it, there's an accident on his way to work and Jared's late.  
He dribbles other co-workers, runs up the stairs and enters the office just as Christian Kane does from the opposite side of the room.  
"Where are the quarterlies, Padaweirdo? Dr. Ackles is ready to cut your throat."  
Jared blinks.  
"Good morning to you too, Chris. Do you realize your hair spray may be solely responsible for the ozone hole?" he retaliates as he walks backwards towards his desk.  
Chris glares at him and touches reverently his hair.  
Jake, a young intern, comes out of the coffee lounge with two cups filled up to the brink.  
"Hey, Jake, how's it going?" Jared asked, always friendly with his colleagues, especially those with a harder job.  
Jake smiles at him.  
"Well, it's been a bad morning, you know, but-"  
He doesn't even finish before Alona, the new secretary, turns around and bumps into him, making Jake spill all of the hot coffee on his white shirt.  
"Oh!" she shrieks "oh, Jake, I'm so sorry! I didn't see you, I-"  
Jake smiles reassuringly at her, even if it comes out as a grimace.  
The coffee must have been _very_ hot.  
Jared sits behind his desk, changes his calendar page to April 27th, Tuesday, and then sighs at the mountains of papers in front of him.  
Just as he turns his computer on, a hand grabs his shoulder, so tight he almost whines in pain.  
"Look who decided to show up" a mocking voice says, and Jared doesn't really have to turn to know who's talking to him.  
He turns anyway, because his mama taught him well.  
"Jensen, I'm sorry I'm late-"  
"You know I'm doing you a favor don't you? Keeping you on with your lack of experience and your work performance..."  
Jared bites his tongue to stop the remark he was about to let out and simply nods hastily.  
Jensen offers Jared a shark's smile and steps back.  
"Glad to see we're on the same boat here. So, just finish the personnel reports, complete the monthly billing and clean up the desk by quitting time."  
Jared gapes at him.  
"But-but I was working on finishing those data I-"  
Jensen clasps his shoulder again and leans in.  
"Jared, we both know that if you wanted to show up on time, you would, right?"  
"There was a car accident!" Jared exclaims, and Jensen slowly shakes his head.  
"Jared, I don't want to fight with you, but I most certainly don't want to be your friend either, so let's just do the work, hm? I'd hate to kick you out, after all the fuss it took you to get in, I mean. That would be just pathetic."  
And with a slap on the back of Jared's neck, he's gone.  
"You know, he had sex once in 1993, but he didn't like it" Chad chimes in, his head appearing over the wall of Jared's cubicle.  
Jared bites back the growl in his throat and turns towards Chad, narrowing his eyes.  
"What the hell did we do last night?" he inquires.  
"I woke up tasting pavement in my mouth."  
Chad chuckles.  
"Well, we drank and you left...then I picked up the blonde."  
Jared's eyes widen.  
"Shut up! She wasn't even interested in you!"  
Chad smirks.  
"You left and she got interested" he explains, winking.  
Jared opens his mouth to say something else, when Jensen walks out of his office and, as usual, Jared stops breathing for a second.  
It's like a physical reaction he really can't explain or control.  
Jensen is a fucking asshole, he is, but he's stunningly beautiful, and when he's standing right under the light his freckles _glow_.  
Just like they're doing now.  
Chad stops blabbering when he realizes he lost Jared attention; he follows his gaze and sighs.  
"You should stop with this, man. For the last time, he's out of your league. Did you read the profile? Ph.D. at 25! That guy's got no social life."  
"Look at that! He doesn't smoke, and Chris knows that!" Jared mutters, ignoring Chad's comment "he's offered Jensen a cigarette before...what a jerk."  
Chad blinks, but Jared simply grabs his arm.  
"Look at them. Whenever Jensen's nervous, he scratches the back of his neck just next to his right ear-there! See?"  
Chad snorts.  
"Yeah, ok. Listen, Jay, this has gone on for six months, since we started working here. I think it's enough, so why don't you go over there and talk to him?"  
Jared's grip on Chad's arm gets tighter.  
"Wha-no! I can't-I wouldn't-it would spoil our relationship" he stutters, and Chad rolls his eyes.  
"You're right. The whole _jerk on the front, peeping tom on the back_ thing you've got going is so much healthier" he mocks him.  
Jared glares at him.  
"You know what? Time for you to leave my cubicle."  
Chad frowns.  
"Already?"  
Jared nods, pushing him towards his own desk.  
"If I had a door, I'd open it."  
As he walks back to his cubicle, Eric Kripke himself approaches.  
"Excuse me. Jared Pada-Pada-"  
"Yes, that's me" Jared cuts him "but you probably want to speak to Jensen. I'm aware of the fact that I'm just a small gnat here, and-"  
Eric slaps his face with a folder.  
"You signed this, so I want to talk to _you_."  
Jared opens his mouth to talk but right then Jensen gets between them.  
"Good morning, doctor Kripke. I really enjoyed your interview this morning, sir" he says. motioning for Jared to go away, but Jared can't move.  
"Jensen, two of my assistants have been removed by some paperwork Mr. Padasomething here signed. I've already sent two memos regarding the subject but I've gotten no response..."  
Jensen clenches his jaw.  
"You have to excuse him, sir, he's new and doesn't have much experience with this kind of things. I trust him to put everything back in order for you, though."  
Jared is stunned. Is Jensen really trying to cover for him?!  
Eric simply huffs.  
"Just-put them back in the system, ok? Samantha Ferris, Mark Pellegrino."  
Jensen nods.  
"Done. And sir, we all make mistakes" he adds.  
Eric shrugs.  
"Correct it. And keep a tighter leash on your puppies. Good day."  
Once he's gone, Jared steps hesitantly towards Jensen.  
"Jensen, I just wanted to say-"  
"You made me look like an idiot!" Jensen snaps at him, his eyes narrowed "you're off of technical staff. _Off_ as in you won't see this project _ever_."  
Jensen's voice is low, dangerous and Jared really shouldn't find it so hot.  
"You'll take résumés and file résumés, and that's it. Don't you get it? Jesus Christ, _Chad_ is now in charge of technical staff!"  
Jensen rubs his temples, suddenly looking tired.  
"You-you _bounced_ the head of the program's assistants, dammit! One more slip-up, Jared, and you're the one who will bounce. You got it?"  
Jared's brain chooses this exact moment to flash him an image of how and where exactly Jensen could make him _bounce_ , and his mouth goes suddenly dry, so Jared just nods and stares at Jensen's ass as he walks away.  
He groans and hits the desk with his forehead, before grabbing a pen and writing his day's resolution on his calendar pad.  
  
_FIND A NEW JOB OR DIE TRYING._

 

 

  
Jared hasn't even put his tray on the line that Chris is already pouncing on him.  
"Rattled" he hisses, glaring at Jared "the whole office was _rattled_ today because of you, Padacreep! If you slow down the work we all suffer. You know that."  
Jared blinks, then he pats Chris' shoulder, offering him a fake, plastic smile.  
"Let's hug" he states in a serious tone "just once. It will break the sexual tension and maybe then you'll stop wanting me so bad."  
Chris' face turns purple, as the man huffs and stomps away, and Jared snickers.  
"Just slop me on some of that macaroni" he tells the cook, who pushes a plate towards him.  
"Some more, please?" he asks, making his famous puppy eyes, and the cook shakes his head, but fills the plate some more.  
"That is just _terrifying_ " a well known voice says, and Jared's head snaps around.  
Next to him, there's Jensen, who's staring at Jared's lunch with an amused expression that takes Jared's breath away.  
It's so-normal.  
Jensen keeps staring at him, as he expect for Jared to say something in return, but Jared doesn't, so in the end Jensen waves a hand in front of his face.  
"Hey Jared, are you alright?" he asks, still smiling, and Jared finally finds his ability to speak.  
"I'm a growing boy" he says, quickly.  
"My mum always says that I eat this much because I'm still growing, but then we think hey, if I keep growing how tall will I become, right? And then I won't find clothes that fit, and the only job I'll be able to get will be professional basketball player, but I suck at basketball because I'm clumsy and I always trip on my feet."  
Jared has to stop to breathe, and Jensen chuckles.  
"I have absolutely no idea of what you're talking about. You're so weird!" he exclaims, and Jared blushes, as Jensen asks for string beans and white rice.  
As they get on in the line, somehow, they keep talking.  
It's so strange that, in six months spent working together, this is the first time they get lunch at the same time.  
"Where are you usually locked up?" Jensen inquires "you know, when you're not being a political activist trying to destroy other people's research, I mean."  
He still sounds friendly enough, so Jared shrugs.  
"I'm just a college experiment gone horribly wrong."  
Jensen blinks.  
"What is it that you do, exactly?"  
"Nothing. I just sort of boost morale in between threats of being fired. Oh, wait, you were asking about college? My bad."  
Jensen jokingly punches Jared's arms and they both laugh quietly as they approach the cashier.  
"Well, you seem to have a mind of your own, Jared. That doesn't usually fit in the system, you should know by now" Jensen tells him before winking, passing his card and leaving Jared there, with a full tray he doesn't even remember filling and a stupid dreamy smile on his face.

 

 

  
"So, uh. Do you think...he likes me?"  
Chad snorts.  
"Yeah, I'd say that you and a vicious ice cream headache are probably neck and neck."  
Jared whines, looking at Jensen having lunch with Alona and chatting amicably.  
"Do I always sound like such an idiot, or do I just save it for the people I really want to impress?" he asks, as Chad shrugs.  
"Jay, I think that after your nice, friendly speech on the first day you've basically set up your whole relationship. You made your bed, now you have to lay in it, man."  
Jared bumps a fist against his forehead.  
"I know, ok? I know! That was-such a stupid thing to say! I didn't know him, back then, and he stood for everything I was against, being stupidly gorgeous on top of it, and I-"  
Chad pats his shoulder, a pitiful look on his face.  
"Fine, fine, Jay, calm down. You're taking this whole thing in the wrong way. What if the ice king thing's an act? A-defense?"  
Jared turns a little towards Chad, still looking at Jensen from the corner of his eye.  
"Go on."  
"What if he's the one who feels lonely? What if he plays the asshole card so that people don't get close in order to avoid the possibility that they don't like him? Think about it."  
Jared does, and he has to admit that in some sort of twisted, retorted way, it sorta makes sense.  
"Instead of risking it, he simply shuts everyone out" he says, and Chad nods enthusiastically.  
"Exactly! And if that's true, he'll be thankful to the first person who'll have the balls to go over to him and say something. Anything at all, in fact."  
As Jared processes this new piece of information, Jensen's beeper goes off, and he instantly gets up, leaving the cafeteria.  
"Trust me, Jay, I know these things. I picked up the blonde last night, right?" Chad adds, elbowing Jared, who chuckles.  
"Ackles is _dying_ to be talked to. Go get him, tiger."  
Chad may be a douche, but he's an amazing friend.

 

 

  
Jared walks inside his office, confident and resolute, just to discover that Jensen is not there; he was called for some sort of emergency down where the project is held.  
Jared feels lost for a moment, but Chad gives him two thumbs up and he decides to risk it, taking a stroll to the restricted area for the first time since he has been hired.  
He stops at the security control, as an air conditioning technician provides his credentials to get a provisional pass, and gets through showing his own.  
It's surprisingly easy to get in a restricted area, all things considered.  
The activity down there is frenetical; dozens of people wearing orange and blue overall are scattered around, and there are papers, charts and weird artifacts everywhere.  
In the background, a buzzing sound can be heard, and Jared imagines that it can become quite annoying after a while.  
His gaze shifts from side to side until he hears Jensen angry voice.  
"You don't seem to be doing very well today" Jensen points out, and Chris narrows his eyes.  
"Do not jeopardize the time I spend in here, is that clear? And don't interfere with my work, I'm warning you" Chris grumbles, low and dangerous.  
Jensen narrows his eyes.  
"Don't you threaten me, you son of a bitch" Jensen hisses back "And get out of here! _Now!_ "  
Chris looks like he's about to say something else, but Jensen's expression is downright furious, so refrains from it.  
"Fine" he hisses, slamming the door open and finding Jared behind it, his fist already up in the act of knocking.  
"What the fuck are you doing here?" Chris growls, and Jared swallows hard.  
He's taller than Chris, but everyone knows the man's got a temper to watch out for.  
"I, uh-I-" Jared stutters, nervous, but Chris doesn't let him finish and backs him against the opposite wall.  
"Are you even authorized to be back here?" he asks, with narrowed eyes.  
Before Jared can answer, Jensen walks up to them.  
"It's alright, Jared, just-come in and shut the door."  
He sounds annoyed and tired, and Jared wonders for a brief second if maybe he should postpone the whole thing.  
But he's already here, and he knows that he won't probably have the courage of doing this ever again if he walks away now, so he takes a deep breath and follows Jensen inside.  
"What?" Jensen snaps, and Jared adjusts his tie.  
"I was just taking care of the Dr. Kripke's situation, you know, his assistants? Helping out with one of-hey!"  
He trails off, noticing a plant on the table.  
"I have a geranium plant at home too!"  
Jensen huffs.  
"Jared, what do you want? Couldn't you have waited for me to come back upstairs?" Jensen asks, urging him on, and Jared sighs.  
"I just-I wanted to say hello" he answers, cringing at how lame he sounds, and Jensen narrows his eyes.  
"You came back in the middle of a restricted area to _flirt_ with me?!" he gapes at Jared, and Jared fidgets.  
"I can tell that this is a bad time, Jensen, but-"  
Jensen rubs his temples.  
"Jared, we basically spoke today for the first time, during like 10 seconds on a food line! And even then, it was just because I was tired and stressed, and I didn't want to pick up a fight during my only relaxed time of the day. I simply thought _hey, cut the poor kid some slack! You can't be mean to him all the time, right? Especially during your break!_ "  
He glares at Jared.  
"I would have never done it, if I even suspected-How did _that_ give you the right to come down here and _hit_ on _me_?!"  
Jared's heart creaks in his chest and he looks at his feet, his long bangs covering his eyes.  
"I just-I thought-"  
"You don't seem to get the point" Jensen interrupts him, clenching his jaw "I don't consider playful banter over steaming string beans grounds for romantic trysts, sexual advances or whatever the fuck you're trying to pull here, especially between me and a stupid know-it-all college student who has only been allowed to join this project so that he'd stop being a pain in our asses!"  
Jensen's eyes are full of rage, but for an instant Jared thinks he can see regret in there.  
It's gone too fast for him to be sure, though.  
"It was-it was great seeing you too" Jared murmurs, before turning his back on Jensen and opening the door.  
"Jared-"  
He stops.  
Behind him, Jensen sighs.  
"I'm sorry. Ok? I'm being an ass, here, I know. But timing is everything, and you and me-this just isn't the time."  
Jared nods and walks away, swallowing down the tears that are burning in the corners of his eyes, too crushed to notice the way Chris stares at him as he leaves the restricted area.

 

 

  
The first thing Jensen Ackles thought the day he met Jared Padalecki was **this guy's trouble**.  
...actually, that's not true. The very first thing, before he could stop the thought, was **I could fall in love with this guy**.  
Of course, back then he didn't know that the tall, built, striking handsome guy **with dimples** was Jared Padalecki, the one who was trying to destroy everything Jensen had worked so hard to accomplish.  
And just as he was trying to come up with a complete sentence to show he was not a total spaz, Jared had narrowed his eyes.  
"Don't waste your time introducing yourself, Dr. Ackles" he had hissed "it won't be necessary: you're exactly the sort of pompous bastard I expected you to be, and frankly? I don't give a shit about you or your stupid corporation. You're going down, if that's the last thing I do."  
Jensen Ackles' first **conscious** thought was: **I fucking hate this kid**.  
And maybe it has never stopped being true, but now, as he clenches his fists and tries to calm himself down before going back to work, feeling like he has just thrown away what could have been the best thing that has ever happened to him, he realizes that maybe his first other thought has never stopped being true either.

 

 

  
Chad stands up and move towards Jared, eager expression on his face.  
"How'd it go?"  
Jared chuckles bitterly.  
"Oh, good, thanks. I'll probably be alone for the rest of my life" he mutters, sitting on his chair, which instantly goes to pieces under him, sending his ass on the floor.  
"What the-" he starts, but then Chad waves a small wrench in front of his face.  
"Lighten up, man!" he exclaims, cheerfully, before bouncing away.  
Chad is a great friend, Jared thinks as he tries to stand up amongst the rests of his chair, but he's such a douche sometimes.

 

 

  
At 6.05, Jared's desk is clean.  
He was so depressed that he threw himself into work, and it apparently was the right thing to do since now everything is done.  
Well, at least Jensen won't be mad at him.  
That's something.  
"Drinks tonight?" Chad asks, and Jared glares at him.  
"Yeah, Chad, let's just drink our lives away, shall we?" he retaliates, mockingly, but Chad just shrugs.  
"Okay" he says, already walking towards the exit.  
Jared waves his arms in the air, ready to tell Chad how he's wasting his best years getting drunk, and inadvertently hits his snow globe, which tumbles and crashes on the floor.  
Jared's shoulders sag, as he briefly wonders if there's anything that matters to him that's still intact.  
"What's up, Jay-man? Are you with me or what? Let's do it!" Chad calls, and Jared sighs.  
What else does he have to do, anyway?  
Go back home to the geranium pot and Coco?  
"I'm coming."

 

 

  
Outside the weather is great.  
Chad and Jared walk out the building together with the rest of employees, chatting about everything and nothing at the same time, something that Chad has mastered when he was six.  
Jared is still shaking his head at some stupid office rumor Chad decided to share with him when he sees Jensen.  
He's talking to Reynaldo, an old peddler that sells flowers on the opposite sidewalk.  
He's getting a bouquet of red roses, and even if Jared knows it probably means he has a girlfriend he's going to give them to, Jared can't help but feel a well known warmth expanding in his chest as he looks at the way Jensen closes his eyes to smell the flowers.  
As Jensen pays he feels observed, probably, so he looks up and sees Jared, who's standing still in the middle of the sidewalk.  
He seems to ponder about it for a second, and then he offers Jared a small smile, like a peace offer.  
Jared's features distend, as he smiles back.  
They're going to be ok.  
Maybe they are never going to be together, but-they will be ok.  
Suddenly, tires screech in the distance, and a big grey SUV drives past the building.  
It all happens too fast, and Jared can only stare in horror as a masked man leans out the passenger window and shoots, three times.  
Jensen falls down without a sound, and by the time Jared gets to him, he's stopped breathing.

 

 

  
The sun has already set when the police is finally done with their detections and Jensen's body is removed from the bloodstained sidewalk, where there's now just a chalk outline to remind Jared that Jensen is _gone_.  
No more quarreling in the corridors, no more snarly remarks, no more secret glances down the halls.  
Jared feels lost and empty, as he mechanically answers the questions he's asked.  
"You say this happened just after work?"  
"Yeah."  
"What time was that?"  
"6.15."  
"Did you know the victim?"  
Jared wants to scream _yes, I did, he was the fucking love of my life_ but instead he simply lowers his head and says "No, I didn't know him at all."  
_Not yet._

  


  
"I'm sorry, Jay. I know how much you cared about him."  
Chad is drunk off his ass, which is why he sounds so sympathetic.  
Jared snorts.  
That means he's drunk too. Nice.  
"I'm quitting tomorrow" he slurs, sloshing the whisky in his glass "wanna get on with my life."  
Chad blinks.  
"What are you talking about? What about me? What about the dreams we're fighting for?"  
Jared slowly shakes his head.  
"They're gone, man. We're not pimply teenagers anymore, is time to stop dreaming. Besides, they're closing down the corporation anyway, so our job is done."  
Chad is staring at him, and Jared knows that, drunk or not, he's not buying it.  
He sighs.  
"If I stay one more day, what do I have?" he asks, his voice slightly trembling, and Chad squeezes his arm.  
"My dad used to say I'd never amount to much" he adds "I don't want to disappoint him."  
They stay silent for a while, then Chad slams his glass on the counter.  
"I don't know what the fuck are you talking about, dude. Whatever happened today was horrible, sure, but it shouldn't stop us. We have to keep on going. What are you gonna do? Turn back, your tail between your legs, and be tagged a loser for the rest of your life? Uh? That what you want? Hell, is that what _he_ would have wanted for you?"  
  
_You seem to have a mind of your own, Jared. That doesn't usually fit in the system._  
  
He chokes back a strangled sob and doesn't answer.

 

 

  
Jared stumbles inside, the room pitch dark, and his head hurts too much for him to even think about turning the light on.  
He throws his jacket towards the table, but a _splash_ informs him that it ended up inside his aquarium instead.  
As he steps back, he hits the cabinet and the pot with the geranium falls, crashing into pieces.  
"Ha, how ironic" he mutters, as a thunder rumbles in the distance.  
He sways a little, but still manages to get to his room all in one piece.  
He launches himself on the bed, turning on his bedside lamp to check the time.  
12.00.  
The thunders are now more frequent, sign that a storm is approaching.  
Jared sighs, and covers his face with his arm.  
"I wonder what's the last thing he thought about" he murmurs, then snorts.  
"Well, not about me, that's for sure."  
The light flickers, and Jared slowly rolls on his side.  
"Oh, come _on_ " he whines "I don't have time for this!"  
He reaches for the cable on the back of the lamp and starts fiddling with it.  
It seems to be fixed, but after an instant the lightbulb starts crackling again.  
Jared groans, grabbing at the cable more firmly just as a lightning strikes and the pad of his thumb is brushing against the wire.  
  
It's 12.01 when Jared gets electrocuted and loses consciousness, as the light goes out.

 

 

 

_TBC..._


	2. 02

_The time is 7.35. Please wake up_ the recorded voice of the robot-alarm says.  
Jared cracks an eye open, then he closes it again.  
The robot keeps chanting, as it beeps, buzzes and moves around the bedside table making a lot of noise, and Jared blindly tries to shut it up.  
"Please, I have a hangover" he groans, but then he suddenly realizes that actually, he doesn't.  
He sits up, scratching at the back of his neck, confused, as he mechanically turns the TV on.  
"Big news at Utrel corporation. The cutting edge project by researchers in particle physics is being shut down by Government order."  
Jared blinks, trying to remember when exactly did he got out of his suit and into his pajamas, and doesn't start to pay attention on what's being said by the reporter until he hears _Superaccelerator_.  
Jared snorts.  
"Come on, people, that's old news!" he exclaims, looking at Eric Kripke's interview for the second time.  
"You've gotta be kidding me. What about Jensen's murder?!"  
One of Jared's professors appears on the screen afterwards.  
!If we could actually power a particle faster than the speed of light, the energy released would be _catastrophic_."  
Jared stomps away from his room, leaving the TV on, to get the newspaper, as his professor goes on explaining that if that sort of reaction was provoked, time and space would be shattered and everyone would be punched backwards in time and then move forward until the accelerator is fired again, just to start the whole process once more.  
"It would be like an endless loop, a skipping record of sorts. This circular time bounce would become our prison, and we'd be prisoners without memory in a cell without a key."  
As he turns the TV off, Jared tries to remember the time when the words of his professors, their ethics and the future of mankind used to mean something to him, but comes back empty-handed.  
Jensen is gone, now, and a mankind that kills in cold blood that way maybe it's not really worth of saving.  
Especially since no one seems to care about it: no mention of Jensen's murder on the newspaper, either.  
He turns on the radio, then, but there's lots of chattering and nothing else.  
"Scientist killed at work, come on! How is it possible that none of you gives a fuck?!" he exclaims, frustrated, changing stations repeatedly until he gives up.  
Sighing, he lets his dogs out, takes a shower and gets quickly dressed, then he opens the fridge to get the milk, since he remembers perfectly well that yesterday-  
He blinks again, when he notices the orange juice bottle on the shelf.  
Maybe he just _thought_ about drinking it.  
He gulps down the last of it and, when he gets to the cupboard where the trash is, his eyes widen: there, on the top, there's his geranium pot, perfectly intact.  
"One of us fell down last night" he mutters "and I'm quite sure it was you."  
Turning towards the living room, looking for his other jacket, his gaze shifts on the aquarium: the one he threw in there is not- _there_.  
Instead, is hanged properly on the wall.  
Jared rubs his temples.  
"Ok, ok, I was drunk. And I'm gonna be late again" he groans as the phone rings.  
"Mama! Hi, I'm running late again. How are you? Yeah, right, it's been a _real_ long time since we talked last."  
Jared puts his jacket on, as he rolls his eyes.  
"I did meet a girl, actually, but I don't think you're going to meet her, since she was shot yesterday."  
He gapes, then shakes his head.  
"No, mum, not with cameras. With _bullets_."  
His mother's voice doesn't sound really convinced, but Jared's eyes stop on the clock and he desperately tries to end up the conversation.  
"Mama, I-I've got to go. I'll call you later" he concludes, hanging up, as he looks around once more before lifting his hands up.  
"Ok, I was _really_ drunk" he grumbles.

 

  
Of course, as luck will have it, there's an accident on his way to work and Jared's late.  
_Again_.  
He dribbles other co-workers, runs up the stairs and enters the office just as Christian Kane does from the opposite side of the room.  
"Where are the quarterlies, Padaweirdo? Dr. Ackles is ready to cut your throat."  
Jared feels his stomach clench.  
"They're on his desk, Chris, calm down. Besides, it's not like he's going to be here to claim them any time soon, is he? Comb your hair, iron your pants" he mutters as he walks away.  
Chris has always been an asshole, but Jared would have never thought he'd be the kind of person who'd make such a cruel joke, no matter how much Chris hates him.  
Jake is once more coming out of the coffee lounge with two cups filled up to the brink.  
"Jake, would you believe that there was nothing in the paper about Jensen?" Jared asks, desperately needing to talk about it with someone, but Jake just blinks.  
"Why? Did he win another award or something? He-"  
Jake doesn't even finish before Alona turns around and bumps into him, making Jake spill all of the hot coffee on his white shirt _again_.  
"Oh!" she shrieks "oh, Jake, I'm so sorry! I didn't see you, I-Can I help?"  
Jared frowns, as he turns on his computer, but when he faces his desk his confusion steps up a notch: it's covered by mountains of papers.  
"Dammit, Chad, this isn't funny!" he exclaims, approaching the wall between his cubicle and Chad's, but his friend just shrugs.  
"I don't know what you're talking about."  
"My desk, I-never mind. Listen, how come Jensen's murder wasn't on TV, in the paper or anywhere else?"  
Chad blinks.  
"Jensen's _murder_?" he repeats, sounding surprised.  
Jared groans.  
"Chad, man, stay with me, please? You were standing right next to me when he was shot last night! We even talked to the police together!"  
Chad keeps staring at him as if Jared had gone crazy, so Jared just rolls his eyes and grabs the phone, but freezes when he hears a well known mocking voice behind him.  
"Look who decided to show up."  
Jared slowly turns, almost afraid of what he'll see, but there he is.  
Jensen.  
With his ironed shirt, his brown jacket and his trademark smirk.  
_Jensen_.  
Jared can't help standing up and engulfing him in the tightest hug he can master.  
"I can't get over this" he mutters, his voice coming out muffled by Jensen's shoulder, and Jensen flails, pushing him away and taking a couple of steps back.  
"Whoa, whoa, Jared, have you lost your mind?!" Jensen's cheeks are flushed, and a couple of blond locks escaped the hair gel.  
He looks stunning.  
"You know I'm doing you a favor, don't you? Keeping you on with your lack of experience and your work performance...don't add insane behavior to the list."  
Jared blinks, trying to keep the tears of happiness at bay, and just nods, unable to talk.  
"Glad to see we're on the same boat here. So, just finish the personnel reports, complete the monthly billing and clean up the desk by quitting time."  
Jared gapes at him, still in shock.  
"But-Jensen, I did all of that yesterday before I left."  
"I can see that."  
Jensen moves in as if to grab his shoulder, but changes his mind half way and simply clears his throat.  
"Jared, we both know that if you wanted to show up on time, you would, right?"  
"There was a car accident-again!" Jared exclaims, confused and freaking out a little, as Jensen slowly shakes his head.  
"Jared, I don't want to fight with you, but I most certainly don't want to be your friend either, so let's just do the work, hm? I'd hate to kick you out, after all the fuss it took you to get in, I mean. That would be just pathetic."  
And with a shrug, he's gone.  
"How can that be?" Jared murmurs "he came in here just like it was yesterday. It-it makes no sense!"  
"You know, he had sex once in 1993, but he didn't like it" Chad chimes in, his head appearing over the wall of Jared's cubicle.  
Jared growls.  
"What the hell happened?" he inquires, shaking Chad.  
"Well, let's see-we went out to drink, I tried to pick up the blonde, she blew me off and I went home to watch Batman-"  
Jared shakes his head, as he marks the police station's phone number.  
"No, the blonde was _two_ nights ago and you told me you scored."  
The police station takes the call, and Jared asks to talk to the detective who questioned him the night before, but as soon as he's put through and he tries to explain why he's calling, the man hangs up.  
Jared stares at the handset before glaring at Chad.  
"You called him, didn't you? What's this, some sort to elaborate prank? Is Jensen in it, too?"  
Chad lifts his palms.  
"Dude, I'll go pretty far for a joke, but I draw the line at setting up fake homicides."  
Jared opens his mouth to say something else, when Jensen walks out of his office and Jared can't stop himself from staring.  
He's there, in the flesh, and no matter what's going on Jared was wrong, and Jensen is alive.  
Jared leaves Chad alone and walks up to Jensen, who steps back when he sees Jared approaching.  
"Listen, Jensen, I'm sorry for jumping on you like that, okay? I just-I thought you were dead!"  
Jensen snorts.  
"Well, as you can see I'm very much not dead and I certainly hope my condition continues, so. I'll talk to you later."  
Jared should maybe feel a little offended by the tone Jensen's using, but he doesn't care, because Jensen is _talking_ to him and there's no better feeling in the world.  
"I'm just so happy you're alright" he adds, as Chris approaches them.  
"Look, Jared, I-"  
"What's wrong with him?" Chris asks, offering Jensen a cigarette, and Jensen shakes his head.  
"I-really don't know. Shall we go and get this over with?"  
Chris nods and they walk away, as Jared stares at them, feeling a little lost.

 

  
When after a while Jared finally goes back to his desk, Jensen and Chad are there, talking with Dr. Kripke.  
Jared frowns.  
What else could the man possibly want from him?  
"Sir, we all make mistakes" Jensen is saying, and Eric shrugs.  
"Just correct it, Jensen. And keep a tighter leash on your puppies. Good day."  
When Chad sees him approaching, his face lightens up.  
"Just tell him I'm not involved" he whispers, and before Jared can ask what the hell is he talking about, Jensen is barking at him.  
"You made me look like an idiot!" Jensen snaps at him, his eyes narrowed "you're off of technical staff. _Off_ as in you won't see this project _ever_."  
Jared looks at him, confused.  
Didn't they go over this yesterday?  
"You'll take résumés and file résumés, and that's it" Jensen continues, turning towards Chad and telling him he's in charge of technical staff, rubbing his temples afterwards.  
"I can't believe I'm saying that. You-you _bounced_ the head of the program's assistants, Jared!"  
Ignoring the way the sentence can be interpreted, Jared instinctively grabs Jensen's arm, hoping the contact will calm him down, but he can feel Jensen's muscles tensing under the touch instead.  
"Jensen, it's ok! I've already taken care of that yesterday-"  
Jensen narrows his eyes.  
"One more slip-up like this, Jared, one more, and you're the one who will bounce. You got it?"  
Jared nods, speechless, and Jensen stomps away.  
Chad shakes his head and goes back to his desk, leaving Jared alone with his thoughts.  
"Bounced" he murmurs, sitting down, and that's when he looks at his empty calendar pad.  
27th of April.  
_But that's yesterday!_  
And as if his confusion wasn't enough already, on the corner of his desk his snow globe is sparkling under the neon lights, intact.  
He jumps up and walks to Jake's desk, grabbing his newspaper to check it out, and sure as hell on the first page there's the article on the corporation project.  
  
**Time bounce theory poses possible threat.**  
_Researchers and scientists predict experiment could cause time to repeat._  
  
"Holy shit" Jared mutters, letting the newspaper fall.

 

  
"Dr. Kripke!" Jared calls out as he runs after the director of research.  
The man stops and turn towards him.  
"Hi, I'm Jared Padalecki. We met yesterday."  
Eric looks at him, frowning.  
"Oh, so you're Pada-whatever. No, we didn't meet, actually, but that matter's taken care of anyway. Thank your supervisor."  
Jared ignores his comment.  
"Listen, sir, I heard on the news about a supposed time bounce, where time stops, goes back and repeats-"  
Eric snorts.  
"Aren't you supposed to be an A student? Why do you listen to these stupid stories? They obviously used my remarks completely out of context."  
He looks at Jared with a serious expression.  
"It's too complicated for you to understand, kid. Don't even try."  
"But-but-dr. Kripke!" Jared grabs his sleeve when the man resumes walking.  
"I think the time bounce has happened: this day is repeating itself!"  
That effectively stops Eric, who throws Jared a mocking smile.  
"What an unusual thing to say" he states, as Jared goes on.  
"I've seen it happen, sir! Things are repeating everywhere around me!"  
Eric sighs, and pats Jared's shoulder.  
"Listen, kid. If the bounce were really to happen, everything would loop back to a starting point, including you. Your memory would also be reset, along with the rest of the universe. The fact that you think you remember it, means it hasn't happened. So, don't worry about it. Good day" he concludes, walking away.  
Jared tries to call him back, but to no avail.  
"Great" he groans "now what?"

 

  
Jared hasn't even put his tray on the line that Chris is already pouncing on him.  
"Rattled" he hisses, glaring at Jared "the whole office was _rattled_ today because of you, Padacreep! If you slow down the work we all suffer. You know that."  
Jared completely ignores him, searching Jensen with his gaze instead.  
Finally, Jensen enters the cafeteria and puts his tray next to Jared's on the line.  
"I'm sorry about the way I came onto you this morning" he says and Jensen jumps a little when he realizes who's the person next to him "must have been a bit of a shock, uh?"  
Jensen blinks.  
"Are you assuming that this morning's encounter, or better yet, _assault_ , has made us friend so now we're going to have friendly conversations all the time? Because you're _so_ wrong, if you are."  
Jared gapes, but recovers quickly.  
"Oh, no, Jensen! That's the last thing on my mind."  
Jensen arches an eyebrow, suspiciously.  
"I'm not sure. You seemed pretty cozy this morning. Some string beans and rice, please?" he orders, as the line walks on.  
Jared follows him closely.  
"Yeah, well. I just hate meeting and talking to new, interesting and attractive people. Don't you even think about starting a conversation with me! Macaroni, please. Make it double."  
Jensen blinks again, evidently surprised by Jared's attitude.  
"I just-whatever, man" he mutters, almost smiling, and Jared jumps at the chance.  
"Why don't we have lunch together, today? We can talk about how much we hate each other."  
Jensen snorts.  
"I'm sure it would be very nice, Jared, but I think I'll pass."  
"Oh come on, I'll make it worth your while!" Jared insists, turning his puppy eyes on Jensen, who seems to waver.  
"How's that?" he inquires.  
"Oh, well, I-I'll pay for your lunch. I promise I won't spit food in your face or make silly noises with my lips, and I'll finish everything you leave on your plate."  
Jensen chuckles.  
"Okay, okay, fine. Lunch can't hurt" he concedes, and Jared beams at him.

 

  
"I'm strictly into theory, no grease stains. The physical world is just-too disappointing, for me" Jensen explains.  
"Yeah, but to get your hands dirty and to use your mind to actually _create_ things...that's the exciting part, isn't it?" Jared replies.  
Jensen snorts.  
"Yeah, well. Things don't always work out the way you want them to, Jared, you should know that better than anyone in this company."  
"Jensen, you shouldn't pick up stray men at lunch, you don't know where they've been" Alona intrudes, sitting down with them.  
"Eat something, Alona, you're getting mean" Jensen mutters, and Alona smirks.  
"Hey, Jared is not wearing any rings" she points out, and Jared's gaze zeroes on Jensen's hands.  
"You are" he notices, sounding a little disappointed, and Alona snickers.  
"Relax, his sister gave it to him because she was tired of women _and_ men hitting on him. He's available and, aside from dinner with me tonight, his schedule's pretty open" she adds, with a wink, and Jensen jokingly punches her arm.  
"And on that subtle and private note..." Jensen starts, getting up, but Jared grabs his wrist.  
"Wait! You're-Jensen, you're not gonna make that dinner."  
Jensen snorts.  
"Yes, I am, because Alona will murder me if I flake out on her."  
Alona glares at him.  
"Again."  
Jensen's expression turns guilty.  
"It only happened twice! And those reports were important!"  
Jared squeezes Jensen's wrist to get his attention.  
"No, listen to me. I really mean that you're _not_ gonna make that dinner tonight."  
Jensen blinks.  
"And-why not?"  
Jared sighs and his eyes shifts around before he goes on.  
"This day is repeating. The time bounce has happened. Right after work at 6.15 you'll cross the street to buy some flowers and you'll get-shot."  
Jensen and Alona exchange incredulous glances, as Jared swallows nervously.  
"I've already seen it" he adds "you've gotta believe me! The people are saying the same things they said yesterday, they're doing the same things, even the news had the same story. It's all happening again in the same way."  
Jensen rolls his eyes.  
"Okay, then. Prove it. Point something out."  
Jared opens his mouth to answer, but suddenly realizes he can't.  
Yesterday, at lunch, he was too focused on Jensen to be able to remember anything else that was going on around him.  
"I-I haven't been paying attention" he admits, looking at his hands.  
"I'll make it easier on you, what do I do next?" Jensen asks, his tone back to mocking, and it almost breaks Jared's heart.  
"Your beeper goes off" he says, just a split second after it actually happens, and Jensen throws a cold, angry glare at him.  
"Well, I hope you had fun, Padalecki. Don't you dare bothering me ever again, and don't you talk to me until you've grown up" he hisses, standing up and walking away.  
"Jensen, please!" Jared calls out, but Jensen's already gone.

 

  
Once again Jared takes a stroll to the restricted area, but this time it's earlier than the previous Tuesday.  
"I'm here to see Dr. Kripke, he's expecting me" he lies to the guards, and they let him in.  
He follows Jensen to a separate facility, where he stops confronting some data with the rest of the researchers.  
"Looks like it's contained" he's saying when Jared enters the lab "just in that one seal."  
" _Just_ one?" Dr. Kripke snarls "that one seal could endanger the whole project, you know that!"  
Jensen sighs.  
"This means we can't shut the accelerator down today" he states.  
"Jensen, we have no choice!" Chris interrupts "we have to keep the accelerator fully operational until we get the situation under control!"  
Jensen glares at him.  
"Do you realize that this could have been a catastrophe? If one more seal had broken, we would have irradiated the entire lab!"  
Chris looks flabbergasted.  
"I don't understand what happened" he grumbles.  
"This is a terrible embarrassment" Kripke points out "we told him this was safe, and now we can't dismantle the core for at least two weeks. "  
Chris huffs.  
"I'll go get a cleanup crew to help us with this mess" he mutters, stomping away.  
"I'm sorry, Eric" Jensen says, and Eric offers him a small smile.  
"It's not your fault, Jensen. For 40 years something has gone wrong with every damn project I've ever worked on" Eric states, sounding angry and tired.  
Jensen squeezes his shoulder.  
"Well, you're bound for a change, then" he retaliates "the next project will be a total success, you'll see."  
Eric just shakes his head.  
"Oh, no. This is the last project I'll supervise. The way the press is handling this...I can't take any further disappointments."  
He sighs and adjusts his tie.  
"Why don't you check the other seals, Jensen. Please."  
"No cleanup until 10 am tomorrow" Chris announces, re-entering the lab.  
Jensen shrugs.  
"Well, then I'll go check on the other seals and structures, so that-"  
"What? Wait!" Chris steps towards him.  
"I'll examine them. I'll determine what happened."  
Eric points at Jensen.  
"Let him do it."  
Chris' eyes go wide.  
"But Eric, it's my job!"  
"And we've seen how good you are at that" Jensen snaps at him "if one more seal breaks, we'll be reading at night by our own glow!"  
"This is _my_ department, I can handle it-"  
"I want _him_ to do it, Chris, and that's _it_ " Eric states, in a tone that doesn't admit retorts, but Chris is not an easy person to deal with.  
"I've been with this project since the beginning, Eric" he protests "my expertise is needed!"  
"You've caused enough problems as it is" Eric hisses.  
Jared is leaning forward, trying to see where Jensen has gone when someone grabs his arm and forces him to turn.  
"How did you get in here?!" Jensen exclaims, and Chris' attention instantly shifts on Jared.  
"I want security down here immediately!" he states, as he stomps towards them.  
"No, leave it, Chris. I'll take care of this" Jensen says, grabbing Jared's arm again and pulling into an office close by.  
"So, let me see if I got this. You've trespassed into the highest level security area of the corporation and you accosted three heads of the project-why, exactly? Because I am your supervisor. I'm the one who's supposed to explain it. So, I hope for all of our sakes that you have a very good explanation for this."  
Jared opens and closes his mouth a couple of times, knowing that there's no way he can explain it without talking about the time bounce again, and knowing just as well that it wouldn't sit well with Jensen if he did, so he remains silent.  
Sadness flickers on Jensen's face, before he blinks and goes back to the cold hearted boss Jared knows and hates.  
"You're fired" he says.  
"Give me you I.D. and clean your desk by the end of today."  
Jared slams his badge on the table and opens the door.  
"You know what's funny? If today was really today, I would have quit by now. Well, if today was really today you'd be already dead, so it wouldn't really matter anyway."  
He walks away, leaving a gaping Jensen behind him.

 

  
Jensen has tried not to let that kid under his skin.  
Really, he has.  
But from the very first day, when the kid had snarled at him and put him in his place, eyes full of dreams and ethics Jensen couldn't even remember anymore, he knew it was going to come down to this.  
He has pushed Jared away again and again, he has been mean and hostile, he has insulted and mocked him endlessly, hoping to somehow break his equally annoying and adorable attitude.  
He never could though, maybe because he has never really wanted to.  
The kid's smiles are contagious, his kindness and honesty something to protect, not weed out, and still.  
Still Jensen hasn't been able to let himself embrace it.  
And when this morning Jared hugged him, as you would a friend you haven't seen in years and you've really missed, Jensen has needed all of his willpower not to hug him back.  
Because he has wanted to do it for so long that, once it finally happened, he froze.  
Now, after this hellish day it's almost over, he realizes he won't see Jared ever again, and can't help wondering when exactly it has stopped being a war to keep the kid out of his heart and it has started being a war to let the kid in.

 

  
"They _fired_ you?!" Chad asks, looking crushed.  
Jared pats him.  
"Would you believe me if I told you something that sounds impossible?"  
"Of course" Chad answers immediately.  
Jared sighs.  
"Jensen will be murdered today at 6.15. This whole day is repeating, because we're in a time bounce."  
Chad blinks.  
"Uh, okay. Did you tell this to anyone else?" he inquires.  
"Yes! I tried!"  
Chad rolls his eyes.  
"That's why they fired you! It's on, you're stressed out and we can explain it. You have either deja-vu or vertigo. There are laws against this, they can't fire you" he states, beaming at him, and Jared groans.  
"Chad, you know what? Up yours" he mutters, sitting on his chair, which instantly goes to pieces under him, sending his ass on the floor.  
Chad waves a small wrench in front of his face.  
"Sorry, man" he says ruefully.

 

  
At 6.05, Jared tries to get to Jensen again, but the guard doesn't let him through now that he has no I.D.  
Jensen sees him, but he just turns and walk away, ignoring the desperation in the way Jared calls out his name.

 

  
Outside the weather is great.  
Jensen crosses the street and gets to Reynaldo, buying a bouquet of red roses, just as he did the previous time.  
Jared runs out of the building, almost tripping on Chad.  
"Hold it, what's up? Jared! What's going on, man?" Chad asks, sounding worried, but Jared doesn't even hear him.  
"Jensen!" he shouts, trying to break free from Chad's hold "Jensen, get down!"  
Jensen looks up and sees Jared, who's standing still in the middle of the sidewalk.  
He frowns, and then the SUV's tires screech in the distance.  
This time, when Jensen falls down, his eyes, wide with terror, don't move away from Jared until they go glassy and Jensen's head drops on the side.

 

  
The sun has already set when the police is finally done with their detections, and Jared feels bitter and powerless as he and Chad answer to the questions they're asked.  
"I came out before Jared" Chad is saying "and when I heard the shooting-"  
"Excuse me, sir, are you Jared Padalecki?" a cop asks, interrupting them.  
Jared turns and recognizes the man he has tried to warn.  
"Yeah, it's me, detective. Do you believe me now? It's a little late for that, don't you think?" he retorts, but the cop doesn't even blink.  
"You'll have to come along downtown to answer some questions" he states, but Chad stops him.  
"Hey, hold on a second. He already gave his statement and he was across the street with me-he didn't do anything."  
The cop sneers.  
"He called me this morning to tell me about this murder. So, I suggest you shut up if you don't want to go to jail, too."  
And with these words, the man pulls Jared away, straight to the station, where he's going to be accused of _accessory to murder_.  
  
_Whatever_ Jared thinks as he sits in a dark cell _everything's gonna be resetted in no time and when I'll wake up it's gonna be Tuesday all over again_.  
  
He really has to think hard about how he's going to work it out; he needs for Jensen to believe him, and he can't take watching him die once more.  
Then suddenly, a thought hits him.  
What if the day doesn't repeat? What if Jensen is gone, for real?  
What if Jared has wasted his only possibility of changing things?  
"I want another chance!" he shouts, closing his eyes.

  


  
At the lab, someone turns on the electrical power.  
The accelerator buzzes and comes to life, starting the initializing sequence.

 

  
_TBC..._


	3. 03

_The time is 7.35. Please wake up_ the recorded voice of the robot-alarm says, and Jared's arm snaps out of the cover to shut it up.  
"Okay" Jared states, instantly awake "today I save him."

 

  
"Well, look who decided to show up."  
Jared smiles sweetly at him.  
"Jensen, you're absolutely right. If I wanted to be on time, I would. So I'll just finish the personnel reports, complete the monthly billing and clean up the desk by quitting time. You don't want to fight with me, but you most certainly don't want to be my friend either, so I'll just do the work, since you'd hate to kick me out, after all the fuss it took me to get in. That would be just pathetic."  
Jensen gapes at him, at a complete loss of words, before turning to Chad, who's trying his hardest not to laugh.  
"Get rid of that stain" he orders, before stomping away.  
"Good work, man!" Chad exclaims as soon as Jensen is far enough "you almost prevented him from talking entirely."  
Jared arches an eyebrow.  
"You don't remember a thing about yesterday, do you?" he asks, already knowing the answer.  
"Of course I do! We went out to drink, and I picked up the blonde after you left-"  
Jared shakes his head.  
"No, you didn't. She blew you off and you went home alone to watch Batman."  
Chad looks shocked.  
"Wha-"  
"Chad, listen to me. I'm going to explain something to you, but you're not gonna believe me, so-just trust me."  
Chad nods dumbly.  
"Ok. I need to talk to Dr. Kripke, who will be here in like 30 seconds, but first I have to talk to Jensen, alone, out in the hallway; so, when Dr. Kripke gets here, keep him here. You got it? Good."  
"Wait a minute" Chad says "Dr. Kripke, the head of department, is coming here?"  
Jared nods.  
"How do you know that?"  
Jared smirks.  
"Trust me. I know."

 

  
"Jensen!" Jared calls, and Jensen stops turning towards him.  
"What now, Jared? I have to-"  
"The time bounce is a fascinating theory, don't you think?" Jared inquires.  
Jensen narrows his eyes.  
"You seem to know a lot about the topic, don't you, Jared?"  
It would be way too easy for Jared to rise to the bait, but he won't.   
This is too important for him to screw it up again.  
"Listen, Jensen, I know you're busy, and I don't mean to sound pushy, but I'm going to have lunch in the cafeteria at 12.30. Just like you, I hate meeting new, interesting and attractive people, so I was thinking that maybe we could eat together and talk about how much we hate each other. Or we could discuss about how wonderful theory is and how disappointing the physical world can be, with the grease stains and all."  
Jensen blinks.  
"Wow, that's-that's quite a qualified pickup line. I have to handle it to you, Padalecki, you worked hard on it."  
"For two days now" Jared adds "so please, don't forget. I'll pay for your lunch."  
As he walks away, Chris arrives.  
"What's wrong with him?" he asks, and Jensen chuckles.  
"I don't know. Too much coffee, probably."  
As Chris offers Jensen a cigarette for the umpteenth time, Jared turns to him.  
"He doesn't smoke, doofus" he points out "you've been working here for what, four years now? Pay attention, dammit!"

 

  
He takes a detour, and by the time he's back at his desk, Chad is fidgeting.  
"How did you know about Kripke?" he asks, but before he Jared can answer, Jensen approaches.  
"You made me look like an idiot!" he snaps at Jared, his eyes narrowed "it's useless that you try to soothe me with lunch dates if then you pull these stunts! You're off of technical staff. _Off_ as in-"  
Jared lifts a hand.  
"I know all about it" he mutters, before running away to the basement.  
He needs to talk to Dr. Kripke, soon.

 

  
He follows the man around, but it seems impossible for Jared to get him alone.  
When he finally enters in his office and Jared is about to follow him in, he sees Jensen and Chris approaching and hides behind the door of Jensen's office down in the restricted area.  
"If we're right, we'll disprove Einstein" Chris is saying, excited, as they enter "that's pretty groundbreaking work, don't you think?"  
"Of course it is" Jensen answers, even though there's no excitement in his voice "Chris, I've spent three years of my life on this! But what are we supposed to do, break the law?!"  
Chris shrugs.  
"Some people would."  
Jensen sighs.  
"Look, they told us to pull the plug and we're pulling it. Don't make it more difficult than it already is. Please."  
Chris looks like he wants to reply, but in the end he just lowers his head.  
"Ok. If that's what you want. Oh, by the way: I saw some coolant studies in the lab, and they look like yours."  
Jensen frowns.  
"That's funny, I thought I brought them all back..."  
They walk away, and Jared can hear Jensen apologize to Chris for snapping at him.  
"It's fine, Jensen. Oh! I forgot something, you go on, I'll catch you later."  
As Jared stares, surprised, Chris enters Jensen's office once more, going straight for the folder Jensen has put on his desk mere minutes before.  
In the attempt of seeing what is exactly that Chris is looking for, Jared leans forward too much, bumping against the geranium pot, that clatters.  
Chris' head snaps back, and Jared drops down on his heels, holding his breath.  
When he doesn't see or hear anything weird, Chris just shrugs and goes back to search the folder.  
In the end he takes a paper from it and then leaves.  
Jared wait a little more before leaving as well, his heart thumping loudly in his chest.  
That was _close_.  
He feels so relieved as he walks away that he doesn't notice the redhead approaching Jensen's office and seeing Jared walking out of it.

 

  
Back at his desk, Jared takes out a notepad and gets to work, writing down every single detail he can recall of what happens during the day, from his morning meeting with Jensen to his murder.  
When he gets to the cafeteria, and Chris opens his mouth to scold him again for rattling the whole office, Jared just glares at him.  
"Shut the fuck up" he hisses, and Chris looks taken aback.  
Exactly after that, Jensen enters the cafeteria, and Jared offers him a plate.  
"I believe you'll want to try the string beans, they're quite excellent today" he says.  
Jensen arches an eyebrow but takes the plate.  
"You are a very unusual person, Jared Padalecki" he states "and I'm not saying it as a compliment."  
Jared chuckles.  
"Wouldn't want it any other way."

 

  
"So, I used to go to college, before getting this gig, but now I'm sort of trying to figure out my life" Jared is saying.  
"You're going to change your major?" Jensen asks, and Jared shrugs.  
"Don't know yet. I have to find a way to get to tomorrow, first."  
Jensen blinks and Jared takes it as his cue.  
"Let me show you something, ok?" he says, and points at the food line.  
"Those two people are about to bump into each other" he explain, and after a split second, they do.  
"That woman is gonna steal an olive from the salad bar. Oh, and that man is going to sneeze."  
As everything happens as Jared describes it, Jensen's eyes go wider and wider.  
"What are you, a psychic?!" he inquires, and Jared snorts.  
"Nah, I'm just learning to appreciate the moment. It seems to be all I have anymore."  
Jensen arches an eyebrow, and Jared clears his throat nervously.  
"Do you believe in second chances, Jensen?" he asks, softly.  
For a moment it seems like Jensen will accept Jared's words for what they are, an apology and a request for a do-over, but then his eyes shift and his expression closes up again.  
"No, Jared. I don't."  
Jared swallows his disappointment.  
This is not about him.  
He has to save Jensen, no matter what, even if he'll never be his.  
"What if the time bounce really happened, and you had a second chance to know someone, someone you watched from a distance and then finally started getting closer to? Someone you only talked to once, and then really got to know, discovering for example that their sister loves red roses?"  
Jensen gapes at him.  
"I-you-well, you could have just seen me buy them."  
"True" Jared concedes "but how would I know that they're for your sister, the same sister who gave you that ring because she was tired of men and women hitting on you?"  
Jensen starts fidgeting, but Jared can see doubt dawning in his beautiful green eyes and goes on.  
"We had lunch with Alona, yesterday. She was the one who told me about the ring. She also told me you're free, aside from your dinner with her tonight."  
He looks around, and frowns.  
"She's supposed to be here, but something happened because she's not."  
Jensen's gaze shifts.  
"I told her I was meeting someone else for lunch today" he mutters.  
"Jared, this is very weird, and I don't-"  
"Look, Jensen, you're a scientist, so let's talk theory, ok? The time bounce must have happened-"  
"There he is!"  
The redhead from the restricted area walks up to them.  
"Dr. Ackles, this is the man I told you I've seen in your office this morning."  
Jensen blinks, then he turns to Jared, a puzzled expression on his face.  
"Yeah, well, I was just passing by and I saw Kane entering your office" Jared explains "he was looking through your files while you were downstairs getting you coolant studies-"  
"What were _you_ doing back there, Jared?" Jensen inquires, his tone sharp and cold.  
 _Oh, no, not again_ Jared groans internally, then he takes his notepad page out of his pocket and gives it to Jensen.  
"I made a time map" he says, cutting another of Jensen snappy questions "I know it sounds crazy, but you're shot today at 6.15."  
Jensen clenches his jaw.  
"You're fired. You have one hour to clean out your desk and get the hell out of here" he hisses.  
Jared opens and closes his mouth a couple of times before finally giving up.  
He stands and walks away.  
"Your beeper is about to go off" he states before leaving the cafeteria.

 

  
Jensen is about to send some colorful curse after him, but then his beeper actually does go off and he stares at the door, confused.  
Jared is peculiar.  
He's different from any other guy, or man, Jensen has ever met.  
He's smart, without being smug, and he's funny, without being a clown. He's kind without being naïve, and he's nice, without being sappy.  
He talks a lot, and his laughter is loud, but somehow he's never annoying, and everyone around him is naturally attracted to him.  
It seems easy to fall for him, too easy, and Jensen is trying with all his might not to, because when you fall for someone like Jared?  
You're pretty much screwed for life.  
That much, Jensen knows, and he also knows he's already in trouble when he realized that the idea doesn't sound all that bad, after all.

 

  
"They _fired_ you?!" Chad asks, looking crushed.  
Jared doesn't even bother to answer.  
"I need a yellow utility worker badge" he says instead, starting to rummage in Chad's desk drawers.  
"Wha-listen, man, I want to have children, maybe, eventually, ok? So stay out of my stuff or Ackles will castrate me."  
Jared rolls his eyes.  
"He won't come back here until 1.20, that's when he fired me yesterday, so we've got four whole minutes to think about how can I get in without Jensen going ballistic."  
Chad is blinking like crazy, but Jared doesn't notice.  
He's too busy going over the timetable in his mind.  
"The air-conditioning repair guy goes into the restricted area at 1.40" he mutters "that's 24 minutes from now."  
He looks up at Chad, his face lightning up.  
"Hey, if you whip me up a work requisition order I could fake my way through!" he exclaims, as he changes his chair (which he knows Chad has dismounted) with Jensen's.  
"People can die of stress, dude, it's happening to me!" Chad whines.  
Just then, Jensen walks in, followed by Jake to whom he's dictating some notes.  
Jared and Chad hide behind the wall of Chad's cubicle and don't move until they hear the crash and then Jensen's voice screaming " _What the fuck did you to my chair_?!"  
This will delay Jensen long enough for Jared to get in the restricted area before him.

 

  
"Hey, how ya doin'?" Jared greets the guard at the door, showing him his pad.  
"I have to repair an air-conditioning unit for-dr. Specter."  
The guard looks suspiciously at Jared's suit.  
"Where's your uniform?" he asks, and Jared snorts.  
"They told me to carry a window, they didn't say the pain was wet. I'll get another one as soon as I go back to the base."  
He flashes his dimples at him and the man just shrugs.  
"Fine, go ahead."

 

  
Jared hides in an empty office, waiting for Chris to come out of the lab (officially to get the cleanup crew) and he's not disappointed when, after a handful of seconds, the man appears around the corner and grabs the phone on Alona's desk.  
"This is Christian Kane" he says "we broke an isotope seal in the core and I need a cleanup crew immediately."  
He nods a couple of times before hanging up, telling Alona to clear a cleanup crew for the morning after at 10 am and then re-entering the lab.  
"Come on, Jensen" Jared mutters "get your butt out here..."  
Finally Jensen appears, with Chris in tow, and gets into his office.  
"Stay off hardware, Jensen, that's my business" Chris is hissing, but Jensen doesn't seem intimidated at all.  
"I'll take responsibility-"  
"No, you will not take responsibility, dammit!"   
Chris is shouting now, the vein in his neck pulsing menacingly.  
"Listen, Eric asked me to check on the seal and that's exactly what I'm going to do, whether you like it or not. We have equal status around here, and you forget about it way too often-"  
"Fuck it, Jensen!" Chris growls, then he tries to calm himself down.  
"Let me do what I do well. We won't have any problems."  
"You don't seem to be doing very well today" Jensen points out, and Chris narrows his eyes.  
"Do not jeopardize the time I spend in here, is that clear? And don't interfere with my work, I'm warning you" Chris grumbles, low and dangerous.  
Jensen narrows his eyes.  
"Don't you threaten me, you son of a bitch" Jensen hisses back "And get out of here! _Now!_ "  
Chris looks like he's about to say something else, but Jensen's expression is downright furious, so refrains from it.  
"Fine" he hisses, slamming the door on his way out.  
Jensen sighs heavily, and Jared opens the door to get to his office, but on the other side he comes face to face with Eric Kripke.  
The man arches an eyebrow.  
"What are you doing in my office?" he inquires, and Jared shows him the pad.  
"Air-conditioning repair, sir. Luckily, I was here, or your office would have been a sauna tomorrow morning."  
Jared beams at the man and bounces away.

 

  
"I've got an air-conditioning repair for, uh, Dr. Specter?"  
The guard blinks.  
"Yeah, somebody's already here."  
The man frowns.  
"That's impossible. They called only 30 minutes ago and I just got here."  
It only takes a moment for the guard to get what happened.  
He grabs his phone and warns the security people inside the building that there might have been an illegal entry.

 

  
Jared slams the door of Jensen's office open and then close so fast that a few papers on Jensen's desk fly.  
"Two minutes of your time, Jensen, please" he begs, as Jensen's eyes go wide.  
"What do you think you're doing here?" Jensen hisses, picking up the phone, but Jared grabs his wrist.  
Jensen's pulse is fast under his soft, warm skin, and Jared decides he'll do whatever it takes to keep Jensen's heart beating, included jumping in front of him and getting shot in his place, if it comes to this.  
"The accelerator is gonna be fired tonight" he starts to say, and Jensen tries to tell him that it's impossible, that the accelerator is being dismantled, but Jared interrupts him.  
"The seal is broken, Jensen! That's why it _is_ possible!"  
Jensen goes pale.  
"How do you know that? That's classified information. I could get you arrested."  
Jared rolls his eyes.  
"Look, go check on your computer: someone is delaying you on purpose. They sabotaged it so it can't be dismantled and they can fire it tonight. Please, just check the computer. If I'm wrong, I'll be happy to throw myself out of your office, how's that?"  
Jensen looks torn, and Jared squeezes his wrist, drawing circles with his thumb on Jensen's skin.  
"Please" he murmurs again, and he can see the moment Jensen gives up.  
"Oh, fine, damn you" he mutters, turning on the computer, but he freezes when an _access denied_ window pops up.  
"What the-I should have clearance for this."  
Jared snorts.  
"Don't you see? They're trying to keep the information hidden."  
Jensen ponders about it for a second, before getting a folder out of his drawer.  
"There's a file I don't use anymore about mathematical theory that should still be linked to the accelerator" he says, inserting a few codes he copies from the paper in his hands, and finally the data starts to appear on the screen, unlocked.  
  
 _RETHRUST MOTION:_ **PREPARATION FOR FIRING**  
 _INTHRUST GAS:_ **PREPARATION FOR FIRING**  
 _GAS TEMP PREHEAT:_ **PREPARATION FOR FIRING**  
 _PARTICLE SENSOR:_ **PREPARATION FOR FIRING**  
 _ACTIVATOR MODULES:_ **PREPARATION FOR FIRING**  
  
 _ACCELERATOR WARM UP:_ **10.00 PM**  
 _ACCELERATOR FIRING SEQUENCE:_ **12.00 AM**  
  
 _AUTHORIZATION:_ **KANE, CHRISTIAN**  
  
"Oh my fucking God" Jensen murmurs, his eyes wide.  
Jared sighs.  
"I've been trying to tell you for two days now" he explains.  
Right then, the PA system starts to repeat a registered message.  
 _Attention, we have a security alert for all science divisions. Please detain a worker with paperwork for Dr. Specter._  
Jared snorts and shows Jensen his pad.  
"Guess who? I gotta get out of here."  
"Jared, wait!" Jensen exclaims.  
"I-I can explain, tell them that-"  
"What? That the day is repeating?" Jared asks, mockingly, then he shakes his head.   
"Believe me, it's not gonna work. I've tried it before. Besides, I don't want to get you in trouble, so. Meet me at the front entrance at 6.00, don't do anything, don't talk to anybody until then."  
Jensen nods, and before he leaves the office, Jared turns to look at Jensen one last time, just in case he doesn't get another chance.  
Then, he starts running.

  


  
Chris' phone rings.  
"Yes, it's me" he answers, keeping his voice low "we may have a problem. Ackles is working with someone. I don't know who he is, but I may need some help in this. When you find him, you know what to do."  
He hangs up the phone and sighs heavily, rubbing his temples.  
He has no longer the age to deal with this shit, he's even starting to lose hair.

 

  
At 5.58, Jared's car is outside the corporation building, the engine and Jared's heart running at the same speed.  
He sees Jensen on the sidewalk, his gaze shifting, probably looking for him, but he can't get close, not yet.  
The weather is great, and the employees walk out of the building, chitchatting as they enjoy the warmth of the first spring days.  
"Stay there, Jensen, come on, stay there" Jared mutters, but Jensen shrugs and crosses the road instead,getting to Reynaldo, and smelling the roses.  
Jared can see the black SUV revving its engine, and his blood boils.  
"Oh, no. Not this time, motherfuckers" he growls, jumping out of his car and pulling Jensen on the pavement just as the man leans out the window and shots.  
"Oh my God!" Jensen screams, as Jared covers him with his body.  
"I told you I'm not crazy" Jared states, before standing up and offering his hand to Jensen to help him up too.  
"In the car, quick" he hisses, and they drive away as fast as the old vehicle allows them to, before the security guards get to them.  
"You alright?" Jared asks, sneaking a glance.  
Jensen is as pale as charcoal and his fingers twitch as he grabs on the passenger door for dear life.  
"I-I don't know. Oh, God."  
Jared keeps going on pure adrenaline, and he's sure that if he stops to think about he'll crumble, so he tries to keep his mind busy.  
"What did you do after I left the office?" he inquires.  
Jensen blinks, confused.  
""Wha-I don't-"  
"Jensen, stay with me! What. Did. You. Do" Jared repeats, trying to get his voice a reassuring, firm tone.  
"I-I copied the evidence against Kane" Jensen answers, his voice shaky.  
"Onto a disk?"  
"Yeah."  
"Have you got it?"  
"Why, I-No! I left my briefcase at the office!" Jensen exclaims, going even paler.  
"Fuck."  
The SUV is following them, and as soon as Jared notices he starts a few maneuvers that would probably make Nascar drivers jealous.  
He dribbles cars from side to side, tires screeching, so that the guy with the gun never has enough leverage to attempt shooting.  
Jensen is completely out of it.  
His scientific mind can't process shootouts and chases, apparently, as he keeps chanting _ohGodohGodohGod_.  
Jared gets on a battered road, cutting right in front of a bus and forcing the SUV to lose ground, waiting for the bus to retreat.  
They're back on the main road, amongst a hundred of other cars, and only then Jared finally allows himself to take a deep breath.

 

  
The sun has already set by the time they finally get to the old lake house.  
Jensen has recovered his self control, and as he steps out of the car he's already mumbling about calling Washington, the police, _maybe Washington police?_  
"Sorry to burst your bubble, but there's no phone in there" Jared says, and Jensen's eyes go wide.  
" _Excuse me_?!"  
Jared shrugs.  
"Yeah, one of my mum's brilliant ideas. The old man brings his mobile anyway."  
Jensen rubs his temples.  
"So, there's no phone, there's no disk-what are we supposed to do, mail in a complaint?!" he sounds almost hysterical, and Jared steps closer.  
"Hey, it's ok. We have time. We'll think of something."  
Jensen is about to say something highly insulting, but then his attention gets captured by the moon reflecting on the water.  
"It's-it's beautiful" he murmurs, walking towards the shore.  
"You know, the last time I was in the woods I was 9 years old and I was burying my pet canary, only pet I ever had. I even made a gravestone out of a paper plate, and I wrote _Fly to Heaven_ on it."  
He sighs, then he turns towards Jared, his cheeks a little flushed.  
"I haven't told anyone that in-20 years."  
Jared smiles softly.  
"What makes me different?" he asks, and Jensen seems to suddenly remember something.  
"That's what I want to know" he says.  
"I mean, you remember. What makes you different from the rest of us?"  
Jared frowns.  
"Jensen, what I meant was-"  
"I know! I know, ok? I know what you meant. And I know what you're asking. I just-I can't. Not right now. Please, don't ask that of me."  
Jared opens his mouth to answer, but Jensen's expression stops him.  
If they make it out of this, they'll have the rest of their lives to figure it out.  
No need to rush.  
So, he just sighs.  
"I don't know why i remember" he says, then, and Jensen's shoulder seem to relax a bit "my memory's not that great, anyway."  
Jensen chuckles.  
"Well, something happened to you, or you did something. What did you do on that first night?" Jensen questions further, scientific mode solidly back in place.  
This is what Jensen needs to feel safe.  
Something he knows, something he can control.  
Jared rolls his eyes, but plays along.  
"Well, after you got shot I got drunk, went home and knocked a bunch of stuff over. Then I collapsed in bed, and when I woke up it was the same day."  
Jensen shakes his head.  
"no, it can't be it, you're missing something."  
"That's it, believe me" Jared insists, snorting "my life is not usually so exciting."  
Jensen scratches the back of his neck, as he paces back and forth.  
"You drove through something unusual, I'm sure of it. You were near metal, or chemical, or-or you you got hit by lighting-"  
Jared's eyes widen as he recalls that night.  
"Wait, that's it! I collapsed in bed, my clock said 12.01 and I got a shock. My lamp was broken, there were loose wires and I tried to fix it, but it was plugged in, so I lit up like a Christmas tree."  
"And then?" Jensen urges him on, without noticing how close they are.  
Jared notices, though, and he swallows nervously.  
"Then-it was morning" he stutters.  
Jensen nods to himself.  
"Scott's theory has a corollary that says consciousness exists separate from the time bounce. You could have gotten that bad shock just when the first bounce happened, and then maybe it changed your energy level: it pushed you out of the loop just enough so that you can remember, I bet my life on it!" he concludes, so excited that his eyes are sparkling and he looks about to start clapping his hands-or vivisecting him.  
Jared snorts.  
"Lucky me" he grumbles, feeling like an utterly stupid guinea pig.  
Jensen suddenly realizes how out of place his reaction was and he puts a hand on Jared's arm.  
"Jared, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"  
Jared shakes his head, still with his back to Jensen.  
"Come on, I think we can be honest with each other, at this point; stop pretending to be nice to me. I'm quite sure that the first thing you thought when you met me that day at the Center was _I hate him_ " he mutters, but Jensen isn't having any of it.  
"You saved my life, Jared. After all the things I said and did to you, you still risked it all-for me. Why?"  
"Self-interest" Jared answers, and even without seeing it he knows Jensen is gaping.  
He chuckles, bitterly.  
"This topic belongs to the conversation you don't want to have, Jensen. Just leave it, ok?"  
When Jensen doesn't answer, Jared slowly turns towards him and sighs.  
"Listen, I-I've been watching you from my desk for such a long time. No matter how mean you were to me, I have never been able to stop. I was-drawn to you, I can't even explain it. Then finally the other day, at lunch, I gathered up the nerve to actually speak to you, not just exchanging snarly remarks but-I don't know, sharing something."  
Jensen nods, and there's a glint in his eyes that makes Jared hope, for the first time, that maybe he's not alone in this.  
"I made a total fool out of myself, back then, but I thought _hey, I'll have another chance to impress him some day_. And then you-"  
Jared has to stop and clear his throat, because the feeling of Jensen's life slipping through his fingers is still too vivid in his memory and it hurts too much for him to deal with it.  
Jensen steps in.  
"We spoke?"  
Jared nods.  
"How-how was I?"  
Jared blinks, and Jensen shrugs.  
"Well, I mean, I'm always a dick so-"  
"Oh, no! No. You were-strangely nice to me. Even if you did end up throwing me out of your office afterwards" Jared adds, not wanting to lie to him.  
Jensen's expression turns slightly guilty.  
"I'm sorry, Jared. I guess I was just having a bad day-or month."  
They both laugh.  
"How can you still like me?" Jensen suddenly asks, stepping even closer.  
Jared smiles.  
"That next morning, when I saw you alive, I realized I had a second chance to try and let you know that-Jensen, from the first moment I-"  
But Jensen doesn't let him finish.  
He leans in and covers Jared's lips with his, trying to convey all the gratitude, the warmth, the feelings the other man has awakened in him.  
Jared doesn't kiss him back, though, so Jensen breaks away and looks at him, puzzled.  
"Sorry, I thought you-"  
Jared shakes his head.  
"No, you're right. I want-God, of course I do. More than anything. But I need you to know that you don't have to do this. I'm not going to let you die again, anyway."  
Jensen swallows, hard.  
 _Now or never_ , he thinks.  
"Actually, it was the second."  
Jared frowns.  
"What?"  
" _I hate him_. That was the second thing I thought when we met."   
Jared looks confused, and Jensen sighs.  
"Listen, maybe now's not the best time, but it may be the only time I get, so, just in case we don't make it, I want you to know that my first thought was-" he licks his lips " _I could fall in love with him_. I couldn't stop myself. _I hate him_ came right after that, though, if it's any consolation."  
Jared's eyes are wide and full with something akin to wonder as he grabs Jensen's arm and pulls him against his chest, claiming his lips for their first, real kiss.

 

  
It's a thunder that wakes Jared up.  
Jensen is mumbling, still half asleep in the cocoon of blankets they've made in front of the fire, and Jared holds the other man's naked body tight against his chest.  
Now Jensen belongs to him, and he belongs to Jensen, and nothing, not even the damn time bounce of Hell, will be able to keep them apart.  
Jensen's eyelashes flutter, as his sleepy eyes focus on Jared.  
He smiles.  
"Hi" he murmurs, and Jared smiles back, a soft, tender smile he never gave to anyone else.  
It was waiting for Jensen, most likely.  
"Hi" he answers, as Jensen kisses him.  
"You know, I'm usually not this type of guy" Jensen says, and Jared blinks, before snickering.  
"Shouldn't I be saying that?" he retaliates, with a smirk, a faint sting reminding him exactly how up, close and personal Jensen got only a couple of hours before.  
Jensen yawns and intertwines their fingers.  
"What time is it?" he asks, suddenly worried.  
Jared grabs his watch from a pillow next to his head and looks at it.  
"Fuck, it's 12 o'clock" he mutters, sitting up.  
Jensen sits up too, his eyes wide and sad.  
"We've got to do something! I don't-"  
Jared shakes his head.  
"There's no time" he states, bitter, and his grip on Jensen's hand gets so tight it actually hurts, but Jensen doesn't move.  
Suddenly, Jared's expression shifts from resigned to resolute.  
"Quick, Jensen, tell me what your favorite color is" he questions.  
Jensen arches an eyebrow.  
"Wha-"  
"Come on, what is it?" Jared urges him.  
Jensen frowns.  
"Green, but-"  
"Favorite food?"  
"Smoked oysters."  
"Favorite number, then."  
"37.1."  
"Favorite music?"  
Jensen rubs at his temple with his free hand.  
"That's hard-"  
Jared is almost trembling with nervousness.  
"Jensen, please, tell me" he begs, the fear of not being able to get Jensen this close again plain on his face.  
Jensen blushes and mutters something.  
"What?"  
"The Carpenters, dammit" he growls, and Jared lets out a surprised chuckle.  
"You've got to be kidding."  
His laughter is cut by another thunder, this time so near that it's like an alarm bell.  
Their time is up.  
Jared stares deep into Jensen's green eyes, hoping he can see what Jared feels.  
"I love you, Jensen" he confesses, before claiming Jensen's mouth for one last, desperate kiss that tastes like goodbye and broken promises.

 

  
_TBC..._


	4. 04

_The time is 7.35. Please wake up_ the recorded voice of the robot-alarm says, and Jared turns it off with a deep sigh, his pillow held tight against his chest and a faint memory of Jensen's warmth.  
Then he takes a deep breath and gets to work.

 

 

  
"9.17, Jensen in the corridor with Kane who lights his cigarette-" Jared mumbles, writing down every single detail he can remember, when suddenly the phone rings.  
He rolls his eyes, knowing it's his mother.  
"9.25, Kane goes through Jensen's office and 12.30, lunch with Jensen."  
He picks up the phone barking _I'll call you back, the day's repeating_ in the handset before hanging up and going back to his pad.  
"1.00, Jensen's beeper goes off, 1.40-"

 

 

  
When he arrives to the office (late, as per usual) he gets to his desk just in time for Jensen to approach him with his usual cocky grin.  
"Well, look who decided to show up."  
"Oh, Jensen, don't get your panties in a bunch. If you left us alone, the work could get done, but no, you're so damn invasive that no one can concentrate when you're around, especially me. So stop assuming we're all idiots and don't judge people before you actually know them just based on a stupid comment they made on the first day at a new fucking workplace!"  
Jensen gapes, speechless, before recovering his usual cool and glaring at Jared.  
"Well, this is what I get for covering for you during the last six months. Maybe it's time for me to look into your performance record."  
Jared smiles.  
"Oh, please do" he says.  
Jensen swallows.  
"Nice knowing you, Jared" he mutters, turning to leave, but Jared stops him.  
"Wait, Jensen, one more thing."  
When Jensen looks back at him, a snarly _now **what**?!_ probably already on the tip of his tongue, Jared is holding out a bouquet of red roses, just like the ones Jensen buys everyday before he gets killed.  
Jensen takes them, frowning.  
"Jared, what-I'm a little confused."  
Jared chuckles.  
"Yeah, well. Welcome to my life."  
Jensen looks like he's about to add something else, so Jared just jumps in.  
"I know you like it compact, without the crap, so here we go. I'm gonna tell you something that sounds impossible, but then I'm gonna back it up with some facts: the time bounce has happened."  
Jensen blinks, but Jared doesn't let him speak.  
"In fact, we've met before" he continues "three times now. You've told me that your favorite food is oysters, your favorite number is 37.1 and your favorite music is by The Carpenters, even though I think you could do better."  
Jensen's eyes go progressively wide as Jared talks, and by the end they look like plates.  
Jared gives him a second to adjust, before dropping the final bomb.  
"Kane has been illegally firing the accelerator, you're going to find out about it later this afternoon and you'll transfer that proof on a computer disk, which is where it gets a little sticky."  
Jared licks his lips, fidgeting.  
"I've seen you get shot, twice already; yesterday I was able to save you, but then the time bounce has happened and I winded up back here at the beginning of this goddamned Tuesday with my memory intact."  
He lowers his voice and takes a step closer to Jensen.  
"I made you a time map, so you can just sit back and watch the day unfold, if you still don't believe me."  
Jensen looks skeptic, but Jared just points at the pad, where it's written _Dr. Kripke enters._  
"Jensen?"  
Jensen's head snaps up and surprise appears on his face as he sees Eric walking towards them for real.  
"Hi, Eric" he greets him.  
Eric's gaze shifts on Jared.  
"Are you Jared Pada-padasomething?" he asks.  
"Yes, doctor, I've gotten your memos" Jared answers.  
Eric blinks, before turning to Jensen.  
"Are you losing assistants too?"  
Before Jensen can answer, Jared intervenes.  
"Your two assistants are back on the computer, sir, they'll have their passes back by lunchtime: dr. Ackles was kind enough to explain the whole thing to me, weren't you, dr. Ackles?" he concludes with a smirk as Jensen glares at him.  
"Oh! Well, I appreciate that, Jensen" Eric says.  
"Since everything seems under control, I'm just gonna go. I'll see you at 9.30, Jensen. Good day."  
As he walks away, Jared turns to Jensen with a smug expression, before pointing at Chris entering the hallway.  
"Look, he's about to lighten up his cigarette, just as he has done these past few mornings after meeting with you" Jared explains as Chris does.  
"All we have to do is keep Kane from finding out about the computer disk, so today I'll be the one taking all the information. Alright?"  
Jensen rubs his temples.  
"I-you can't expect me to just accept this" he murmurs, evidently torn, and Jared uses his last card.  
"The epitaph on your canary's grave you made when you were 9 years old was on a paper plate, and it said _Fly to Heaven_."  
Jensen's collected mask breaks, and the light Jared has seen sparkling into his green eyes last night, as he entered Jared's body, is finally back.  
"Hi" Jared greets him, smiling softly.

 

 

  
Dr. Kripke is writing a few complicated formulas on a blackboard, when the beeping of his computer attracts his attention.  
A flashing window pops on the screen.  
  
_**File security alert:** access to accelerator bank from station other than this terminal_  
  
Eric frowns and types _ORIGIN?_  
The computer buzzes, and then a new window pops up.  
  
_Padalecki, Jared: intern_  
  
Eric narrows his eyes as he scrubs his chin, a little perplexed.  
How did an intern get access to a classified file?

 

 

  
Jensen types fast on Jared's computer, as Jared looks from over his shoulder, feeling a little dizzy every time he breaths in and his nostrils are filled with Jensen's scent, which is still imprinted in his memory, and he has to use all of his willpower to not lick the strip of naked skin going from the neck of Jensen's shirt to his ear.  
Jared can still remember the breathy moan Jensen made when he did.  
Last night.  
In another life.  
"Jared, pay attention, dammit" Jensen snaps, and Jared shakes his head to clear it up a little, trying to focus back on the computer screen.  
Once more, the data confirm what Jared said.  
  
_RETHRUST MOTION:_ **PREPARATION FOR FIRING**  
_INTHRUST GAS:_ **PREPARATION FOR FIRING**  
_GAS TEMP PREHEAT:_ **PREPARATION FOR FIRING**  
_PARTICLE SENSOR:_ **PREPARATION FOR FIRING**  
_ACTIVATOR MODULES:_ **PREPARATION FOR FIRING**  
  
_ACCELERATOR WARM UP:_ **10.00 PM**  
_ACCELERATOR FIRING SEQUENCE:_ **12.00 AM**  
  
_AUTHORIZATION:_ **KANE, CHRISTIAN**  
  
"Oh my God" Jensen murmurs, looking at Jared, who just shrugs.  
When the disk with all the evidence comes out of the computer, Jared leans in to take it but Jensen slaps his hand away.  
"Uh-uh. I don't think so" he hisses.  
Jared simply smiles, and curls his fingers around Jensen's.  
"You trust me" he says.  
"You may not realize it yet, but you do."  
Jared's skin tingles where it's touching Jensen's, and if the faint flush of Jensen's cheeks is anything to go by, he's feeling it too.  
Jared swallows hard and forces himself to take a step away from Jensen.  
"Let's meet out by the front entrance in half an hour" he whispers, and Jensen just nods before walking away.  
As Jared hides the disk in his shirt pocket, someone punches his shoulder.  
He turns and he's faced with Chad's beaming smile.  
"Big daddy, that was _great_! he exclaims "how did you that?! Man, you are the king."  
Just then, Jake comes by, fidgeting, as his eyes shift on the side.  
"Jared, the, uh, the personnel office said-"  
"Don't waste your time, Jake, I'm quitting. It's something that I should have done a long, long time ago."  
Jake bites his lower lip.  
"Actually...dr. Kripke called. You're under arrest."  
Jared's face goes pale.  
"Wha-what for?"  
"For stealing classified computer information" the security guard says, approaching them with a menacing glare and taking the disk out of Jared's pocket before grabbing Jared's arm and twisting it behind his back.  
"This way" he growls as he pushes him towards the exit.  
"Chad!" Jared exclaims, but all Chad can do is watch as his best friend is taken away.

 

 

  
The cop Jared considers almost a friend by now, taking into account all the times the man has registered him, is filling a form out with Jared's data.  
Again.  
"Marital status?"  
"Single."  
"Occupation?"  
"I-I don't know! Who cares?! Just put _unemployed_! At least it's not murder, this time" he concludes, grumbling.  
The cop ignores him.  
"Social security number?"  
Jared rolls his eyes.  
"You should _really_ learn to type, you know. no one types with one finger at a time at this days and age. Besides, we may be doing this for years."

 

 

  
When Jared is back in the same cell of a few Tuesdays before, it's 6.15 already.  
_Well, I could always start again in six hours_ he thinks, sighing, but right then the cop approaches his cell.  
"Padaliki, you made bail" he announces, and Jared refrains to correct him.  
Chances are, he'll be back.  
When he gets to the hall, there's Chad waiting for him.  
Jared gapes.  
"How did you get the money to bail me out?!" he asks, shocked, but Chad just waves a hand dismissively.  
"Don't ask me why I'm doing this, okay? I don't even know him" Chad mutters in response, and it all sounds cryptic to Jared, until he sees Jensen's car outside, with-Jensen, behind the wheel.  
"You're not killed today!" he exclaims, beaming at Jensen "that's great news!" he leans in to hug him, but Jensen pushes him away.  
"Jared, I don't think-"  
Jared huffs.  
"Listen, we-you like me a lot, you just can't remember it right now."  
Jensen snorts.  
"I could tell you how much I'd love to stick around you two, but that would be a lie" Chad chimes in, clasping Jared's shoulder.  
"Call me when your insanity clears up" he whisper into Jared's ear before hopping out of the car.  
Jensen lifts his hands.  
"Both of you, just-close the doors and get in!" he orders, before turning the engine on and driving away from the police station's parking.  
None of them notices the black SUV following them from a distance.

 

 

  
"I don't mean to be realistic about this or anything, but-" Chad starts as he munches on a chicken breast "shouldn't we call, like-a professional, to take care of this?"  
Jared rolls his eyes.  
"Chad, we've got to think of something. _We_ , no one else."  
"He's going to fire that thing tonight" Jensen points out "and if he does, we'll all be back in the hamster wheel."  
"The police kept the computer disk" Jared says.  
"Great! So we call the police and let them take care of the situation" Chad suggests, but Jared and Jensen shake their heads.  
"It's out of their jurisdiction" Jensen states matter-of-factly "we'd have to talk to Washington, and we don't have any proof."  
"Is there any way to get back into that building?" Jared inquires.  
Jensen scratches the back of his neck, pondering.  
"Yeah, I think so" he answers "the accelerator needs a two-hour warm-up period before it can fire. That means he'd start it in three hours."  
Jared furrows his brow before his face lightens up.  
"If we can get security to tape the lab through their surveillance cameras we could get the proof we need to stop them!" he exclaims jumping up, followed closely by Jensen, as Chad keeps eating until the waitress taps on his shoulder.  
Chad groans.  
Of course he's left behind to pay the bill.

 

 

  
"You know, we had a lot more fun last night" Jared says as they walk towards Jensen's car.  
Jensen looks at him from the corner of his eye.  
"Did we?"  
Jared blushes a little.  
"Yeah. We took a walk on the woods, we sat by a fire..."  
Jensen blinks.  
"We _sat_ by a _fire_?"  
Jared nods, but doesn't add anything else and Jensen finally gets it.  
"Wait a second" he hisses, grabbing Jared's arm and forcing him to stop walking "are you saying that you-that we-"  
Jared swallows, his gaze shifting.  
Jensen narrows his eyes.  
"Did you fuck me?"  
Right behind them, Chad trips and would fall on his face if he didn't have enough reflexes to grab a pole to steady himself.  
Jared's cheeks are purple, by now.  
"Actually, uh-it was more like the other way around" he mutters, as Jensen's expression turns from suspicious to smug.  
"I see. Did you like it?" he asks, smirking, and Jared wishes the earth would open and swallow him whole.  
"Y-yeah, Jen, I-I did. But you liked it too! I mean, it wasn't just me, you know."  
Jensen chuckles.  
"I'm sure I did, champ. Relax, or you'll have a panic attack."  
They resume walking, as Chad does his best to pretend he's not listening.  
"This is so strange" Jensen says, after a few minutes of silence, and he sounds genuinely curious.  
"I mean how-" now it's his turn to blush, and Jared could mock him endlessly for that, but he doesn't.  
"It was tremendous" Jared answers with a dreamy sigh "the-the Earth moved, and-"  
The sound of a gun cocking makes the three of them freeze, as a man dressed in black cuts their escape route.  
"Will you step in the alley, please?" he asks, in a tone that makes it sound more like an order than a request.  
As they're guided into a dark alley with no exit, Jared turns to Jensen.  
"These are the guys that have been killing you" he murmurs "I'd recognize them everywhere."  
Once the men have all three of them with their backs against the wall, the one with the gun steps closer.  
"Where are the other disks?" he inquires.  
"Who are you?" Jared asks back, receiving a punch in the mouth and a kick in the stomach for his insolence.  
"Shut up" the man hisses, turning towards Jensen.  
"Listen to the question and think about it carefully. Did you make any more disks?"  
Chad clears his throat.  
"Guys, hey, I'm not really a part of this, you know. So why don't I just-"  
"Shut up!" the man exclaims, before grabbing Jensen and slamming him against the wall.  
"There are no other disks" Jensen groans, his eyes shut in pain.  
"Jared, man, just tell them I'm not into this" Chad tries again, his voice slightly trembling "any information I have would be useless. Right?"  
He steps back and moves towards the back of the alley, but as soon as the man sees him trying to escape he simply aims and shoots.  
Twice.  
Chad goes down, no sound, like the first time that Jensen died.  
"Fuck, no!" Jared screams, scrambling on his feet and grabbing a wooden board from the floor.  
Taking advantage of the sudden confusion his scream has created, he trips the man with the board, grabs Jensen arm and runs.

 

 

  
No matter how fast Jared and Jensen go, no matter how many buildings they try to hide in, the men are always right behind them.  
Fuck, they're fast.  
Jensen is panting heavily, trying as best as he can to keep up with Jared's more trained body, as they succeed in blocking the exit door of the warehouse they just came out of with a heavy dumpster.  
Jensen runs in the parking lot, screaming for help, but Jared covers his mouth.  
There's no place to hide, only grass and pavement around, and for a moment Jared feels hope slipping through his hands, but then his gaze focuses on the men's SUV.  
Maybe they could-  
Pulling on Jensen's arm, he quickly lays down under the car, motioning for Jensen to join him.  
"Don't breathe" he hisses, as the warehouse's door slams open.  
"Check down there" one of the men orders, and Jensen sweats profusely as he hears their steps receding away from the car.  
He closes his eyes shut, trying to stay as still as possible and not to breathe, as Jared asked.  
Jared slightly turns his head to look at him and, despite the fact that his face is almost purple and his hair is messed up, Jensen has never looked so beautiful.  
Jared grabs his wrist and squeezes.  
"We're in this together" he whispers, and Jensen gives him a small, grateful smile.  
"I'm sorry about Chad" he whispers back "I know how much you cared about him."  
Jared cringes at the memory of his best friend's body laying in a dark alley just because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, then something comes to his mind.  
"It's funny" he murmurs, as low as he can manage "he said the same thing to me when _you_ were killed."  
Jensen opens his mouth to answer, but then the steps approach again.  
"Nothing" one of the man says, and the other curses loudly.  
The car doors slam open and closed, then the engine is turned on.  
Jared shifts a little closer to Jensen's side, and none of them moves until not even a faint echo of the tires screeching on the asphalt can be heard.

 

 

  
It's pitch dark by the time the taxi stops in front of Jared's house.  
They stumble out, holding each other up, as tired and boneless as they could possibly be, but they haven't taken even two steps on the lawn that Jared freezes.  
"Now what?" Jensen asked, sounding weary.  
"I didn't leave the light on" Jared answers, nodding towards the enlightened window.  
They step back and turn, but have to stop again: from the opposite side, Chris Kane is walking straight towards them.  
Jared clenches his fists, ready to fight as hard as he can in his current exhausted state, but Chris, surprisingly, simply lifts his hands in the most unthreatening way he can manage.  
"Jensen, Eric's in there" he states.  
Jensen and Jared blink.  
"What is he doing in my house?!" Jared inquires, confused, but Chris just shakes his head and ignores him, all of his attention focused on Jensen.  
"I'm sorry I wasn't able to tell you any of this before, but..."  
He sighs.  
"Six months ago, the justice department asked me to help them with their investigation on Eric."  
Jensen's eyes go wide.  
"Wha-why are you investigating him?!" he asks, surprised.  
"Because they suspected he'd broken safety regulations trying to get the accelerator up and running on budget" Chris explains.  
Jensen rolls his eyes.  
"Chris, you're not making sense at all. What the fuck are you talking about?!"  
"Jensen, for God's sake, open your eyes!" Chris exclaims, frustrated.  
"He was the one who broke the seals today to stop the dismantling."  
Jensen looks at Jared, gaping, and Jared arches an eyebrow.  
" _Kripke_ broke those seals?" he repeats, and Chris goes on like he didn't notice the mocking tone.  
"That's right, and we don't know what else he might do: I guess we'd better talk to him."  
Jared snorts.  
"I really don't think so-" he starts, but Chris simply takes out his gun and cocks it.  
"I'm going to need both of you as material witnesses" he explains, as if there's nothing wrong with him handling a gun before going to chat with his boss.  
Jensen pales as he sees the weapon, and Jared's afraid he's going to pass out, but in the blink of an eye the terror is gone and in front of him there's once again the Jensen he's used to in the office, the cold, calm and collected doctor Ackles he really can't stand.  
Jared is not sure this is the right approach to the situation, but considers himself lucky anyway.

  


  
When they enter, they fid Eric kneeling in front of a cupboard, almost everything Jared owns thrown haphazardly everywhere.  
"Eric, what are you doing?" Jensen inquires, shocked, unable to really believe what he's seeing.  
"I'm sorry, Eric, but it's over" Chris states, taking a step forward.  
"Jensen! Thank God you're alright" Eric exclaims, moving towards them, but the way Chris pronounces his name forces him to stop.  
It only throws him off for a split second, though, because after that he's glaring at his assistant.  
"Oh, no, Christian, you're not going to fire that accelerator tonight, it's way too dangerous!" he announces, his eyes throwing daggers at the other man.  
Chris rolls his eyes.  
"And now what you're talking about? The radiations have finally gotten to what little was left of your brain?" he asks, ironically.  
"It's true, Chris" Jensen chimes in "your name is in the system, authorizing the firing sequence for tonight."  
Chris frowns.  
"That's impossible" he retaliates, but Jared is now staring at Eric, trying to grasp something that still escapes him.  
"Dr. Kripke, with all due respect-what exactly are you doing in my house?" he questions.  
Eric shrugs apologetically.  
"I'm very sorry for the intrusion" he says "I just hoped to find another disk with the proof against him: he crashed the mainframe computer at work before I could retrieve anything."  
Jensen blinks, looking just as lost as Jared is feeling, while Chris walks up to the phone and checks the line.  
"He's lying" he announces, marking a number.  
"Who were you waiting for?" Eric inquires, narrowing his eyes.  
"Who were those two men in the black SUV I saw you talking to?"  
Chris doesn't answer, as finally someone picks up the line on the other end.  
"Ted, it's me. Where the hell are your men?" he hisses.  
"Who are you talking to?!" Jensen exclaims, hysterically, and Jared just knows he has to do something.  
He shifts on his feet, and Chris catches the movement with the corner of his eye.  
"Don't move!" he shouts, as Jared lifts his arms slowly.  
"I'm just-taking off my coat, okay? No need to get nervous" he explains as he complies, but then instead of putting it on the hanger, he throws the whole thing on the floor.  
When Chris turns towards the noise, Jared and Eric jump on him, as Jared grabs the gun.  
"Thank God you made the right choice" Eric says, relieved, taking the gun from Jared and pointing at Chris, who looks shocked and way younger than he should.  
"Guys, don't you get it? He set me up!" he exclaims, arms thrown up in frustration.  
"The accelerator is going to generate a 50 billion dollars industry in just five years! He doesn't care about you, me or anyone but himself!"  
Eric huffs and pulls the trigger, and Jared and Jensen can only stare as Chris falls against Jared's kitchen table with a muffled scream.  
Then Eric turns and aims the gun at them.  
Jensen's eyes are shining with betrayal.  
"Eric, you said-"  
Eric shrugs.  
"I said what I had to. Sometimes you have to do what's wrong in order to do what's right."  
He sighs.  
"I'm so sorry for this."  
Jared's eyes go wide.  
"No!" he shouts, but it's too late.  
The first bullet is for Jensen, who drops dead in Jared's arms as Jared kneels on the floor next to him.  
"You probably don't believe me" Eric murmurs while he cocks the gun one last time "but I truly am sorry."  
Jared narrows his eyes, biting back the tears of despair and rage that threaten to start flowing.  
"You're going down, you son of a bitch" he hisses, before everything fades to black.

 

 

  
_TBC..._


	5. 05

_The time is 7.35. Please wake up_ the recorded voice of the robot-alarm says, as Jared jumps on the bed, sitting up and checking instinctively his body for injuries.  
He's perfectly healthy, just as he is every time he wakes up, which means that everyone else will be ok, too.  
He takes a deep, relieved breath that dies in his throat as he remembers Eric's cold glare as he took everything Jared has ever cared about away from him.  
"You bastard" he hisses "what kind of a man are you?!"  
He rubs his temples, so freaking tired of the charade he's currently living in.  
"You shot him-you _shot_ him! Both of them, in cold blood! Fuck, you shot me, too, but-they were your assistants! They looked up to you, dammit!"  
He doesn't even realize he's shouting until his throat actually hurts.  
He sighs and tries to calm down.  
"But you're done" he growls "no more hamster wheel for me, you slimy son of a bitch."  
And it's then, as the rage makes his blood boil, that something clicks inside of Jared.  
Suddenly he knows that this, today, is _it_.  
All or nothing.  
He stomps out of his house, staring resolutely at his car, still parked at its usual spot, too concentrated on his planning to notice the truck speeding towards him.

 

  
_The time is 7.35. Please wake up_ the recorded voice of the robot-alarm says, as Jared jumps on the bed, sitting up and gasping deeply.  
"What the fuck-" he mutters, but the robot keeps buzzing and making noise and Jared is _done_ with it.  
He slams an arm on his bedside table and send the thing flying through the room, crashing into the wall reduced to a million of pieces.  
The TV talking in the background makes him go crazy, too, and with a low growl he grabs a baseball bat he keeps by the bad in case of attack and smashes it through the screen.  
Flames engulf the TV, as he pants heavily.  
Then he falls to his knees and hides his face in his hands, not even attempting to stop the sobs.  
He just wants all of this to be over.  
He's not a fucking hero.  
He never asked to be.  
The phone rings, again and again, and he doesn't move until it stops and then starts once more for the third time.  
He slowly stands up and walks to it, picking up the handset.  
"Hi, mama" he says, weakly.  
"No, we haven't spoken in a while. You're right."  
He sighs.  
"Yeah, I've met someone, but-" he swallows, biting his lower lip "I just don't think that it's going to work out."  
His mother is talking, but Jared doesn't really hear her, Jensen's dead weight in his arms still too real for him to focus on anything else, until something she says catches his attention.  
"What? What's all that matters?" he asks.  
 _How it feels_ his mother repeats.  
Jared closes his eyes, a little overwhelmed by everything.  
"It does, mum" he answers, after a handful of seconds "it-it feels _right_."  
He can feel his mother smiling even through the phone.  
 _Nothing good comes easy_ she says, and a small smile appears on Jared's face.  
"Yeah, you always say that" he retaliates.  
He listens to her for a couple more minutes, before cutting her off.  
"I'm running late again, mama, but-I promise I'll call you later. Oh, and mama? I love you."  
He hangs up, his eyes watery, but his spirit restored.  
There's something he had forgotten: he's not just doing this for himself, there's a whole world out there that won't have a future unless he stops dr. Kripke and his insane plan.  
And that's a future he has to fight for, too.

 

  
Chris Kane has just turned off the engine of his car after parking when Jared opens the passenger door and sits next to him.  
"Wha-" Chris starts, but the look on Jared's face stops him before he can get a complete sentence out.  
"You're not such a bad guy once you get to know you" he says.  
Chris blinks.  
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he asks, but Jared simply shrugs.  
"I know who you really are, Chris. You're helping the justice department to catch Kripke, and I want to blow him out of the water."  
He turns towards Chris, his eyes sparkling.  
"You wanna help?"

 

  
When Jensen gets to his office, Chris and Jared are already there.  
Jensen blinks, but doesn't say anything as he enters until Chris closes the door behind him.  
"Chris, what's this? I've got a report to finish" he points out, annoyed, as he crosses his arms against his chest, completely ignoring Jared's presence.  
Chris fidgets.  
"You, uh-you'd better sit down" he says "Jared here has something to tell you."  
Jensen's gaze finally stops on Jared, and even if he doesn't look thrilled at the idea of listening to him he sits behind his desk and arches an eyebrow pointedly.  
"The time bounce has happened" Jared starts, for the umpteenth time.  
Jensen rolls his eyes.  
"Excuse me?"  
"The time bounce" Jared repeats "we're in it. The Earth as we know has stopped existing. Children don't grow up, people don't stay dead, we'll never have another holiday and you'll never bring another bouquet of red roses to your sister."  
Jensen blinks again.  
"What are you talking about?" he inquires, and Jared steps closer to him.  
"I've fallen in love with a gorgeous researcher assistant, despite all of his effort to push me away with the asshole act" he explains "but so far I have only been able to spend a few hours with the real him and it breaks my heart to meet him every morning as a stranger."  
Jared's voice wavers on the last words, and that's what seemingly gets to Jensen, who unconsciously licks his lips as Jared's eyes follow the movement remembering how that tongue felt tangled with his.  
"You see, Jensen, I want him with me every day, no matter if he acts like the fucking ice king or the biggest jerk on Earth during most of the time we spend together; every second he'll let me catch a glimpse of the amazing person underneath the mask will be worth it."  
He takes another steps, as Jensen swallows, hard.  
"I want him to grow old with me" Jared adds, his face showing all the love he feels for Jensen "I want to hold his hand as it gets grey and wrinkled and I want his smile to be the first thing I see when I open my eyes in the morning."  
Jensen bites his lower lip.  
"And who's this-who's this man?" Jensen asks tentatively, his expression cautiously guarded.  
Jared smiles softly.  
"37.1" he says "oysters. Green. The Carpenters."  
He wraps his fingers around Jensen's wrist, and Jensen gasps realizing how close they are.  
" _Fly to Heaven_ " Jared whispers as Jensen's mask breaks in a million pieces until in front of him there's the flushed, young, beautiful man Jared loves so desperately, and Jared knows he's won.

 

  
"All right, look" Chris murmurs as the three of them walk down the corridor "we play the day as normal. When he goes to warm up the accelerator tonight, I'll call for backup, you two will get out of here and it will be over."  
"Yeah, because if I wake up tomorrow and it's today again, I'll kill myself" Jared growls, glaring at Jensen when the man snickers.  
"Sorry" Jensen says, looking guilty, as they enter the hall, and Jared's face lightens up immediately.  
"Chad!" he exclaims, running up to his friend and clasping his shoulder "you're alive!"  
Chad rolls his eyes.  
"Oh come on, man, I wasn't in the bathroom _that_ long, was I?"  
Jared simply grabs him and kisses him wetly on the cheek, causing Chad to make disgusted noises.  
"Careful, guys! Would want you to-"  
Jake doesn't even finish the sentence before Alona turns around and bumps into him, making Jake spill all of the hot coffee on his white shirt.  
"Oh!" she shrieks "oh, Jake, I'm so sorry! I didn't see you, I-"  
Jake smiles reassuringly at her, even if it comes out as a grimace, and Jared snorts.  
He has bigger fishes to fry.  
Jake can get another shirt.  
Tomorrow.

 

  
"This is a terrible embarrassment for me" Kripke points out "we told him this was safe, and now we can't dismantle the core for at least two weeks."  
Jensen clenches his jaw, but tries to smile.  
"Well, no one was hurt and the radiation's contained in the core, so...I think people will understand."  
Then he turns to Chris.  
"I'll better go check on those seals for you, Chris" he suggests, and Chris nods.  
"Thanks, Jen" he answers.  
As Kripke blinks at the sudden collaboration, Chris walks up to him.  
"Eric, I take full responsibility" he says "I'll get a cleanup crew and then I'll deal with the press immediately."  
Eric frowns, as he's left alone in the core.  
"Well" he murmurs "I admire your attitudes."

 

  
A few hours later, as he's sitting in his office, Eric decides to run a check on his assistants, just in case.  
They have been too nice to each other all day; something weird is going on, even if he still can't quite put his finger on it.  
 _RUN CHECK ON: **ACKLES/JENSEN**_ he types, then he stares at the results and huffs when he sees nothing unusual on the logs.  
"Dr. Kripke?" his secretary calls, but Eric snaps at her.  
"I said _no disturbances_ , didn't I?" he growls.  
As he hangs up, something comes to his mind and he goes back to typing.  
  
 _PHONE USAGE: **KANE/CHRISTIAN**_  
  
His eyes go progressively wide as the phone calls appear on the screen.  
  
 **CALL TO TIME OF CALL**  
  
 _WASHINGTON,D.C._ **10.45.00**  
 _WASHINGTON,D.C._ **10.46.00**  
 _ACKLES,JENSEN_ **10.49.00**  
 _WASHINGTON,D.C._ **10.52.00**  
  
He clicks on the first call and frantically types _DETAILS OF CALL_ , only to freeze when a pop up with _DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE_ written on it comes up.  
So that's why everything is so calm and smooth, today.  
They're planning on screwing him over.  
  
 _PHONE USAGE: **ACKLES/JENSEN**_  
  
 **CALL TO TIME OF CALL**  
  
 _PADALECKI,JARED_ **10.45.00**  
 _PADALECKI,JARED_ **10.46.00**  
 _PADALECKI,JARED_ **10.49.00**  
 _PADALECKI,JARED_ **10.52.00**  
  
The back of Eric's shirt is getting soaked with cold sweat, as he passes a trembling palm on his forehead.  
 _What now?_

 

  
Outside the weather is great.  
Jensen and Jared leave the building together, and Jensen is actually laughing at something Jared is relating, with profuse flailing of arms.  
As they're crossing the road and approaching Reynaldo's stall, Jared smiles.  
"I know an individual who really loves red roses" he says "may I?"  
Jensen chuckles, as Reynaldo greets him and Jared takes his wallet out to pay for the same bouquet of roses Jensen gets every single Tuesday.  
"I must make a good impression on your family" Jared states, his expression serious, and Jensen's gaze softens.  
"It won't really be a hardship for you" he mutters "not once they'll have seen the way you make me laugh."  
Jared blushes deeply, his eyes hidden behind his long bangs, and his heart gives a leap.

 

  
Chris gets in the parking and then in his car without noticing the black SUV parked next to him.  
A man gets out, a muffled gun in his hand, and Chris doesn't even have the time to scream.  
  


****

  
  
Jensen almost moans when Jared offers him a steaming mug of his best coffee, and he breathes in deeply.  
"Did you know that coffee is one of the five all-time great smells in the world?" Jared tells Jensen as he sits down on the couch next to him.  
"No" Jensen answers, drinking it up and shivering with the warmth settling down in his belly.  
"Well, it is" Jared confirms.  
"Then you have home-baked bread, opening day at wrigley field-"  
"New leather" Jensen chimes in, and Jared leans closer.  
"Fresh roses" he continues.  
"Rain" Jensen adds, swallowing.  
"You" Jared murmurs, so close he can feel Jensen's breath on his face.  
Just as their lips are about to meet, Jensen moves back a little.  
"Um, I don't really know what happened the other days, but-I think we'll just have to take it a little slower this time" he says, his voice uncertain.  
"This time there won't be do-overs, Jared" he explains "this time, we'll have to deal with the consequences."  
Jared smiles and leans in.  
"It's too late for that" he states, softly "I've died for you already."  
Jensen looks like he's about to protest again, but in the end he just sighs and closes the distance between them pressing his lips hesitantly against Jared.  
It's a peck, nothing deep, but Jared's picks up speed instantly.  
Jensen breaks the kiss and stares at Jared's face, so up close.  
"I've got to get used to this" he mutters licking his lips as if he's trying to memorize Jared's taste.  
"Don't worry" Jared says "it'll work out, you know? It already has."  
They kiss again, slower and deeper this time, as Jensen's hands tangle throw Jared's hair and Jared's  
fingers curl in the nape of Jensen's neck.  
Jensen is already pushing Jared back, unconsciously trying to get him to lie down under him, when Jared's elbow inadvertently lands on the remote, turning the TV on.  
"And now, for the local news" the reporter starts "a man identified as Christian Kane, a research scientist at Utrel corporation, was found murdered this evening."  
Jared and Jensen freeze, the kiss hastily broken, and Jensen gasps as the reporter relates that the body was discovered inside his car down in the parking lot of the company.  
Jared turns to him.  
"Looks like it's up to us" he states, and no matter how bad the feeling in his guts is, Jensen nods.

 

  
They're running outside the building, trying to find a way in when they discover their access badges are not working.  
Eric has probably disabled them earlier on.  
Surprisingly, though, Jensen's badge opens the back door of the restricted area, and Jensen blinks.  
"Eric hasn't changed these codes" he notices, frowning.  
"Is this good or bad?" Jared inquires, and Jensen shrugs.  
"I don't know."  
As they walk by the night guard, the man greets them.  
"Hi, Dr. Ackles. And you must be Jared Padalecki."  
They blink.  
"I have to ask you to step inside" the guard continues "you're wanted in connection with Dr. Kane's murder."  
" _What?!_ " Jensen exclaims, gaping, and the guard shrugs.  
"Dr. Kripke's orders."  
Jared snorts.  
"Listen, fellas, it has been a _really_ tough week. Trust me. It has been all-Tuesdays."  
The guard frowns.  
"Sir, I understand, but I just-"  
Jared shakes his head.  
"See, I've already been killed today. So, please, stop giving me a hard time, because seriously? I've had it with this bullshit."  
The guard's gaze shifts from side to side, as Jared keeps babbling and walking closer, and before he realizes it, Jared has grabbed his gun and he's pointing it at him.  
His buddy has already pressed the alarm button, and the piercing sound is echoing down the halls.  
"Please, give him the gun" Jared asks the other guard, nodding towards Jensen "please? I really don't want to hurt anyone."  
The guards look confused by Jared's attitude, and Jared sighs.  
"You guys don't get it. I wake up every morning clutching at the pillow that is not Jensen. Jake still gets burned with the coffee spilling on him and-I'm afraid you're going to have to step inside" he concludes when Jensen glares at him, his cheeks suspiciously flushed.  
Once the guards have been locked in an empty office, Jensen gets behind their station and groans as he watches from the security cameras how the rest of the guards are trying to get to them.  
"So much for the surprise visit" he mutters as he pushes a few buttons and then types some commands on the security terminal, locking all the doors connecting the rest of the building with the restricted area.  
Once he's done, he turns on the security camera in the core and starts recording.  
"Show time, motherfucker."  
Jared stares at him in awe.  
"You are so fucking brilliant!" he exclaims.  
"If I wasn't already so in love with you, this would be the moment you swept me off my fucking feet."  
Jensen smacks his shoulder, rolling his eyes, but there's a flash of pride in there somewhere that makes Jared feel all giddy.  
Then his gaze falls on the clock.  
"Dammit, is 11.54" he points out "we better hurry up."

 

  
They slam the door of the lab open, guns at the ready, their eyes shifting in the dark, trying to adjust to the faint light coming from the core.  
Everything's up and running, just as they expected for it to be.  
Jensen has never seen the accelerator ready to fire, before, and he's distracted for a split second, which is long enough for Kripke to approach him and push the barrel against the back of his neck.  
"Give me the gun" he hisses, and when Jared turns abruptly and sees him aiming at Jensen Eric glares at him.  
"You too."  
"Eric, you can't fire the accelerator" Jensen says, his voice almost pleading, as the older man gets both of their weapons.  
Eric narrows his eyes.  
"Jensen, why are you trying to stop me? You, the one who loved this project more than me since day one!" he sounds surprised and disappointed.  
"The time bounce has happened-" Jensen tries to explain, but Eric just goes on, his gaze lost somewhere else, like he didn't even hear him.  
"You know that what they're asking me to do is wrong. You all know."  
Jensen starts to really feel worried.  
Eric is weird, there's some sort of glint in his eyes he has never seen before and that scares him.  
"The time bounce is real, Eric" he tries again "you have to-"  
"Go ahead" Eric orders, pointing towards the stairs, as he explains them how 15 years before his superconductor project was stopped, after he had spent 10 years to design an phase-gravitational field, and the German researches completed the same project a month later.  
"You're not listening!" Jensen exclaims, frustrated, as the man keeps talking.  
"And now? Now they're going to dismantle my accelerator before he even has a chance to-"  
"For fuck's sake, Eric, _it doesn't work_!" Jared shouts and for a moment Eric's expression focuses.  
"How can you say that" he murmurs "how do you _know_ that?! Who the hell are you?!" his voice gets progressively louder until he's shouting back.  
Suddenly, his shoulders sag.  
"I don't have time to dispute with you" he mutters "heck, I have no more time, period."  
He pushes both of the guys in front of the core, gun aimed at them and his eyes narrowed.  
Then he lifts a couple of levers and turns a wheel as the control panel starts blipping.  
  
 _11.58_ it says.  
  
Jared and Jensen stare helplessly as the cannon slide towards the core, the dread feeling in their chests that everything's about to spin and start all over again.  
Jensen's hand finds Jared's, and he entangles their fingers.  
He can't even imagine how Jared is feeling, right now.  
Tomorrow Jensen will wake up and go through Tuesday as if it was the first time, but Jared...Jared will have to watch everything unfold in front of his eyes, unable to do a thing to change it.  
He'll probably have to watch Jensen, or Chad, or Chris die, and then go back to the beginning once more.  
Jensen clenches his jaw, as the blue light of the core gets more intense, and Jared leans in towards him.  
"Is there an _abort_ switch on that thing?" Jared whispers, and Jensen feels hope blooming in his chest again.  
If Jared hasn't given up yet, neither will he.  
"The yellow button" he whispers back.  
Jared nods, then turns towards Eric, moving a step.  
Eric smiles sadly at him.  
"Please, don't."  
Jared just smiles back, and steps closer.  
Eric shoots.  
"Jared!" Jensen screams, running to his side as Jared leans against the wall, blood pouring profusely from the wound on his arm.  
"God, are you ok?" he asks, checking Jared frantically for more injuries, but Jared pushes him back, narrowing his eyes as he stares at Eric.  
"Tomorrow I might shoot you first, doc" he growls "I'll just keep coming back until I'll get it right."  
Erick sneers and cocks the gun again, but right then the alarm starts resounding and the lights go off, leaving only a faint red glow.  
Eric's gaze shifts from side to side, confused, and Jensen smirks.  
"I've got a little surprise for you, Eric" he says, as a recorded voice warns them about the power level fluctuating under 30% and the analogical clock signs 11.59.  
Eric runs towards the power generator, as Jensen tackles the control panel, repeatedly pushing the yellow button.  
Nothing happens.  
"Did it abort?" Jared inquires, stepping closer, and Jensen shakes his head repeatedly.  
Jared's eyes go wide.  
"Any other way to stop it?"  
Jensen pushes, pulls, turns and lifts but in the end he just throws his hands in the air.  
"He disconnected it" he mutters, as Jared goes pale.  
"No, please" he begs, voice filled with despair "I can't-no. Please."  
The lights are back on, and Eric comes back just to find Jensen bent on the control panel.  
"Get away from there!" he shouts, pushing Jensen, who stumbles towards the accelerator.  
As he gets back on his feet, his eyes focus on the head of the cannon, and he takes his decision.  
He jumps inside the core and starts working around the cannon, trying to unlock it and dismantle it.  
"No!" Eric screams, shooting at Jensen, but Jared tackles him and he misses.  
The two start fighting, as Jensen keeps twisting screws and loosen bolts.  
From time to time a gunshot endangers him, but Jensen tries to ignore them and focus on the task at hand.  
The world, as a whole just like as his own, depend on him.  
Meanwhile, Jared and Eric fall down the stairs and Eric loses the gun.  
"I can't get it!" Jensen shouts, and Jared's next to him in a second.  
"Let me help" he says, and they both grab at the side of the cannon to unlock the pieces.  
"There's not enough time" Jensen cries out, the muscles in his arms twitching with the prolonged effort, as the clock signs 12.00 "we'll never make it!"  
Jared's expression is resolute.  
 _16_ seconds.  
"We'll make it" he states "We have to make it. I don't want any more second chances."  
 _7_ seconds and suddenly Eric's on Jared again, chocking him, and Jared's arms flail in the air as he scrambles for both balance and air.  
Finally, he gets enough leverage to hit Eric in the stomach with his elbow, propelling him forward.  
Trying not to fall, Eric trips on some cables and falls, straight in front of the cannon's trajectory as the accelerator fires.  
Eric's eyes go comically wide, his mouth agape, but only a strangled, half-muffled scream comes out of his mouth as the flow of radiations runs through his body.  
His pupils roll in the back of his head and his body shakes violently before exploding.  
Jensen and Jared close their eyes, unable to watch the tragedy develop in front of them, until something comes to Jared's mind.  
He grabs Jensen's wrist and turns it, his gaze fixed on his watch.  
"Oh my God" he murmurs, when he sees what time it is.  
 _12.01_.  
"I love you, Jensen" he whispers, kissing him softly, ready to wake up on a Tuesday morning again.

 

  
Instead of the robot-alarm's recorded voice saying _The time is 7.35. Please wake up_ , Jared hears a _blip_.  
He blinks, confused, and Jensen is still there in his arms.  
Also, his bicep hurts like a bitch, too.  
 _12.02_.  
"It's-it's _Wednesday_ " he stutters, his eyes teary, and all he can do is kiss Jensen again.

 

  
"So, in the end you were right."  
Jared sighs happily, his head nested on Jensen's naked shoulder.  
"Yes, I was."  
"And you saved the world" Jensen adds, his thumb tracing soothing patterns on Jared's thigh.  
Jared shifts and turns towards him.  
"Actually, _we_ did."  
"Pfft, semantics" Jensen retorts, rolling his eyes, then his expression turns serious.   
"Well, now what? I mean" he explain when he sees Jared frowning "what are we going to do with this future we suddenly have?"  
Jared pretends to ponder about it for a second before answering.  
"Spend it together?"  
He sounds tentative and hopeful, and Jensen just beams at him.  
"Sounds like a plan."

 

_THE FUTURE IS HERE_

  


 

  


**Author's Note:**

>  **Not Coming Down From:** [bed](http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Bed)  
>  **Clawed Chained Heart:** awake  
>  **Under The Spell Of:** Poets of the fall "Locking up the sun"


End file.
